Perfect Fit

"Ron, I know I don't know Quidditch beginning to end like you do, but I'm pretty sure making the hoops invisible is a foul!" Harry yelled across the Weasleys' backyard to his best friend, who was circling on his new Nimbus Two Thousand with a grin plastered on his face.

"What, Harry? Can't hear you!" Ron yelled back happily. Harry rolled his eyes and landed on the soft spring grass. Ron followed.

"Where are the hoops?" Harry asked impatiently.

"What hoops?" Ron asked innocently, trying to hold in rolls of laughter that otherwise threatened to spill out.

"Exactly! You CAN'T make them invisible, Ron!" Harry replied. Just then, Charlie Weasley sauntered out into the backyard.

"Dinner's ready, you two…what happened to the hoops?" Charlie asked, looking around him 360 degrees.

"Ron was losing, so he made them invisible," Harry informed him as he began to walk toward the Burrow.

"Oh. Ron was being his usual 'sore loser' self, eh?" Charlie said, raising one eyebrow and smiling.

"I was not!" Ron exclaimed defensively.

"Come on! Eat up, dears! We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow!" Mrs. Weasley piped as she filled their plates up for the fourth time with food.

"Mum, seriously. If I eat any more, I'll spew," Ron groaned.

"All right, Ron. Just have a bit of dessert," George Weasley offered, grinning.

"Its delicious!" Fred, his carbon copy, added.

"What is it?" Ron asked with narrowed eyes. He had learned over the years not to accept any sort of edible items from Fred or George.

"Um, it's…" Fred and George whispered to each other excitedly, then turned back to Ron.

"Cuckoo Chocolate Cake," they said together.

"We swear, Ron. It's really good! I mean, one bite and you'll melt!" Fred exclaimed. Then, for some odd reason, both twins burst into laughter. Ron looked at Harry questioningly. Harry shrugged. Ron looked up to find his mother gone. His father was at the Ministry with Percy Weasley, Ron's third oldest brother. The Weasley family children ranged from big to small, old to young, crazy to sane. First, there was Bill Weasley, who worked at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in the Egypt branch. He had been Head Boy at Hogwarts, but if you looked at him, you certainly wouldn't think so. He was tall, with long red hair tied into a ponytail. He was also wearing an earring with a fang dangling from it. When Harry had first seen him, he had been utterly surprised, but he was used to it by now.

Then came Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was tall and muscular, and had several bruises, blisters and burns from working with all sorts of dragons. After that was Percy, also known as Percy the Perfect, who was the overachiever in the family. He had gotten top marks at school, and now worked at the Ministry of Magic where he was Barty Crouch's "minion", as Fred called it. Then came Ron, the youngest Weasley boy, who was tall and lanky with flaming red hair, just like the others. Last but not least, the only girl in the Weasley family besides Mrs. Weasley herself, Ginny Weasley. She had straight red hair flowing down to her mid- back, ivory skin, and was tall for her age. She almost always fell victim to Fred and George's jokes, but recently, she had wised up.

"Oh, go on Ron! What can happen?" Bill urged him. Ron looked around the table reluctantly, weighing the choices. What could happen? He asked himself. Maybe Fred and George have straightened up and stopped making adding onto Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he thought.

"All right. Give me a bite," he agreed slowly. George handed him a plate with what looked like a normal, gooey chocolate cake slice on it. Ron picked up his fork and speared off the tiniest bite and slowly placed it in his mouth, chewing. He waited…nothing happened. It still tasted like chocolate, and he didn't turn into a bird, nor did warts appear all over his face. He started to sigh in relief. Suddenly, he felt dizzy. The whole table started spinning, and then everything blacked out for a minute. When he was finally able to see again, he felt small. He looked up at Bill's grinning face, Charlie's twinkling eyes, and Fred, George, Ginny, and even Harry clutching their stomachs and laughing.

"What?!" Ron asked desperately.

"That's rich!" Fred exclaimed between bursts of laughter, pointing at Ron.

"What's rich? Someone tell me!" Ron pleaded. George could only nod. They gave each other a high five, then resumed laughing. Ron looked down at himself, and yelped in horror. He was a puddle of red on the table. He had no body, just eyes. Suddenly, everything blacked out once more and when Ron opened his eyes, he was relieved to see that he was back to his normal, lanky self. He looked around. Now everyone was laughing.

"That was not funny!" Ron exclaimed, going as red as his hair.

"Yes, it was! That was great!" Fred said, wiping his eyes.

"Thanks for being our guinea pig this time, Ron," George added, standing up.

"Come on, Fred. Let's go add our newest invention to the list." With that, they left. It was yet another day at the Burrow.

"WAKE UP, HARRY!" Ron bellowed into Harry's ear. The Boy Who Lived sat up slowly, wincing and stretching.

"You don't have to yell, Ron," he answered tiredly.

"Yes, I do! Know why? Because it's your birthday and you're sleeping IN and it's 1 pm, you git!" Ron exclaimed, sitting back down on the bed he was too tall for now.

"All right. I'm up," Harry replied and stood up, stretching once more. Harry walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a red T-shirt, placed his glasses over his brilliant green eyes and stared in the mirror, trying to flatten his hair. He dried it with a towel and pressed his hands over his head for a few seconds, then lifted them. No luck. It was still sticking up in the back untidily, just like his father’s. Harry groaned. "It's never going to happen, dear," the mirror told him. Harry rolled his eyes and walked back to Ron's room to find him fully dressed.

"Took you long enough! Let's go downstairs," Ron said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"SURPRISE!" Came the cry even before Harry had even set foot in the kitchen. Poor Harry jumped so high, he thought he was going to hit his head on the already low ceiling. Harry was amazed; so many familiar faces were there! Along with Dumbledore ("Ah, what a splendid party! I used to shake a tail-feather or two in my day!"), Remus Lupin (Harry's werewolf friend and former Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher), there was a lot of others. Dean Thomas, Harry's soccer fan friend, was standing with a huge grin on his face. Next to him was Neville Longbottom, with his toad Trevor in his hands, also grinning broadly. Next to him was Lee Jordan and his dreadlocks, followed by Seamus Finnigan, the Irish boy who always made everything he tried to put a spell on explode. Fred and George were there, and so was Parvati Patil, her best friend Lavender Brown, Ginny, and Colin Creevey next to her with a huge smile and his camera, as usual. Harry was happy beyond his years. Then, his eyes fell on Hermione Granger, his bookworm friend of 4 years. She had changed…so much. Her thick brown hair was no longer bushy, but fell in soft curls over her shoulders. She was wearing a tight sleeveless blue top and white miniskirt along with tennis shoes and a gorgeous smile. Harry couldn't take his eyes off her, even when she wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. He almost toppled backwards, but regained his balance and hugged her back, taking in the soft sweet jasmine scent of her hair.

"Wow!" was all Harry could say.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" a booming voice greeted as a hand the size of a trashcan lid came slamming into Harry's back so hard, his nose almost touched the floor. He straightened his dangling glasses and stood straight on shaky legs.

"Thanks, Hagrid," he answered, smiling briefly and rubbing his back.

"All right! Let the birthday boy through!" Mrs. Weasley said in a loud voice and as the people parted, Harry saw a enormous vanilla-and-chocolate cake with 16 candles waiting for him at the table.

"ONE, TWO, THREE!" Ron counted. At this, everyone started singing "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" at the top of their lungs. The problem was, everyone started at different times, so it was more like a cawing flock of birds than a perfectly synchronized chorus, but Harry loved it just the same.

After the cake had been passed out to everyone, Ron yelled, "PRESENTS!" and shoved Harry to the table in the living room piled with presents.

Harry picked off the top one and opened it. It was from Seamus. A medium- sized book lay in his hands, with a picture of the Irish team Harry recognized as the one from the Quidditch World Cup that he had gone to in his fourth year on the cover. The players circled the field and did perfectly executed formations while waving to the cheering crowds. Then, the Bulgarian Team appeared on the field, and the picture became faded and bleak, but you could still see the team.

"Made it in favor of the Irish, eh?" harry asked him, grinning.

"You bet," Seamus answered, grinning back. Harry opened the next one from Lavender Brown, which was what looked like a mural with Ancient Runes text on the bottom and it had a gray swirling fog that kept moving (Lavender had called it a 'Futurall'. Harry had no idea what that was, but he thanked and hugged her anyway). Then came Parvati's, a mini crystal ball for Harry's use. Parvati was a Divination fanatic, while Harry detested the subject. All he ever saw in it was white fog, and when he held it, all that came to him was bad memories of Divination class. So he placed it down quickly but still thanked Parvati. Neville's present was a small terrarium with beautiful butterflies of all colors fluttering around in it. Before Harry could reach for another one, Ron shoved his present into Harry's hands. When Harry ripped it open, It was a book entitled "Greatest Quidditch Players of All Time and Their Stories" by Quirky Quagmire. When Harry opened the thick leather-bound cover, there was a scribbled note from Ron:

Harry ~ Happy Birthday! I know one day you will end up in this book! Ron

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said genuinely and they briefly hugged. The next present Harry reached for surprised him.

"It's from the Dursleys!" Harry exclaimed, holding the large box in his hands. In all his life, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and his annoying cousin Dudley had never given him so much as a glance. Harry was shocked to see a present from them. He quickly opened it to find…a piece of paper. No, wait…it wasn't just a piece of paper. Upon a closer look, Harry found a toothpick lying on top of the paper. He took the paper out and read:

Thought we sent you a big present, did you? Dudley (Oh, and mum and dad)

Harry rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. *I should've known*, he thought as he flung it down carelessly.

"Here, Harry. Maybe this will make you feel better," Hermione said, stepping closer with her present. Harry smiled at her and took the present, ripping it open at once. Inside was a beautiful burgundy hardback book with gold borders and big silver looping letters that read: Memories. Harry slowly opened it to find many pictures with of Hermione, him and Ron from their 4 years of friendship. There were ones of them laughing in the hallway, talking animatedly in the Great Hall, joking around in the Common Room, and there was even the one of Hermione running to Harry and hugging him happily after she had been un-petrified. Harry's smile turned into a grin and he pulled Hermione into a hug, spinning her and then setting her back down.

"See? I told you it'd make you feel better," she laughed and kissed him on the cheek. Harry wished he could capture that moment in a picture.

"Good luck this term, Harry," Mr. Weasley wished Harry as he shook his hand.

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley. For everything," Harry replied sincerely. Mr. Weasley seemed to have a tear in his eye as he said, "You remind me of your father more and more every day." Harry smiled wider.

"Come on, Harry!" Ron called. Harry turned around to see Ron waving wildly.

"Bye," Harry said and they hugged briefly. Then, Harry ran to Ron. Mrs. Weasley was hugging and kissing him when Harry got there.

"Geroff, Mum!" Ron said, trying to pull away. Harry suppressed a laugh. Then, she turned to Harry and pulled him into a smothering hug. Harry hugged her back, then pulled away quickly so he could breathe again.

"Take care of yourself, Harry dear," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. You too," Harry replied. She pulled him into another hug and then said, "Take care of Ron."

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed. Harry laughed and told her, "I will." Then, he ushered a grumpy Ron into the train and shut the door behind him. Hermione joined them, and they waved to the Weasleys until they were out of sight. They walked down the train until they found an empty compartment about halfway through, and sat down, Ron and Harry across from Hermione.

"Our fifth year. Wonder what strange things will happen this time," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Let's see. First year: Sorcerer's Stone, Harry almost gets killed. Second year, basilisk, Ginny and Harry almost get killed. Third year, Lupin, Harry almost gets killed. Fourth year, Triwizard Tournament, You-Know-Who, Harry almost gets killed. Call me crazy, but this year, I think Harry's almost gonna get killed," Ron listed. They laughed.

"Maybe this year, the octopus will emerge from the lake and try to attack!" Harry said, and they burst into laughter once more.

"Or maybe Blast-Ended Skrewts will try to catch and eat us!" Hermione exclaimed, and they all laughed again. Through the first half of the trip before lunch, they kept coming up with ideas, one more ridiculous than the previous, and bursting into fits of laughter after each one. Finally, the lady with the lunch cart arrived.

"Anything off the trolley?" she asked. They bought some Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavor Beans, and Sugar Quills, and sat eating them, continuing to come up with more ideas.

"HOW on earth you can have a Mudblood for a friend is BEYOND me," drawled a familiar icy voice. The trio turned to see their nemesis, Draco Malfoy, and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle standing dutifully behind him, standing at the door.

"HOW on Earth you can have THOSE two as your friends is beyond ME," Harry replied coolly. At this, the two thugs growled menacingly.

"No need to get hostile, Potter. Just pointing out the obvious," Malfoy replied, sneering at Hermione.

"What, Malfoy? Jealous that I'm prettier than you?" Hermione asked sharply. Malfoy blushed mildly, but remained calm.

"No way, Mudblood. You’re jealous because I'm prettier than you OR Weasley here any day. And wealthier, but that's a given. Always has been, always will be," Malfoy motioned with his head to Ron, who turned redder than blood and invisible steam poured out of his ears.

"Ron…" Hermione said in a warning tone.

"No, Hermione. Not this time," Ron said through gritted teeth. He slowly sat back, taking deep breaths. Malfoy smirked. Then, without warning, Ron lunged for him, catching him off-guard and knocking him to the ground. Ron punched him in the nose, but Crabbe jumped on top of Ron while Goyle helped Malfoy squirm out from underneath. Crabbe punched Ron in the stomach, followed by one on his nose.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. She walked over to Crabbe, pulled out her wand, and said, "Impedimenta!" Suddenly, Crabbe stopped in the middle of rearing his hands back to throw another punch. He seemed to be moving extremely slowly, but they could still see him moving.

"Good job Hermione!" Harry complimented. Hermione smiled at Harry.

"Guys! Hello? Me!" Ron interrupted through his bloody nose, snapping Harry back to reality. He had been immersed in Hermione's deep chocolate brown eyes. He walked over to Ron and pulled him out from under Crabbe, who was still frozen. Malfoy and Goyle had fled.

"Figures," muttered Ron as he slid out and straightened his shirt. He started to take a step forward, but swayed. Hermione held onto him and guided him to his seat.

"I'll take Crabbe out," Harry offered. "Mobilicorpus!" he said, and Crabbe's slow-moving body floated and followed Harry's wand out of the compartment.

"Ron, are you OK?" Hermione asked, kneeling in front of him and conjuring a handkerchief and an ice pack. He only nodded. When she placed the ice pack to his bloody nose, he winced. She reached up and put her hand on his cheek to keep him still. They suddenly locked eyes, and Hermione couldn't move. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Ron just dumbly stared back, not knowing or able to say anything. Suddenly, the train gave a jolt as if the Earth had given a tremor, shaking them out of their daze. Harry ran into the room, breathless, making Hermione quickly remove her hand from Ron's cheek.

"Did you feel that?" he asked, his eyes wide. They both nodded and stood up, Ron holding the pack to his nose still.

There was a flash of green. The train went dark. Hermione screamed and felt a strong hand go around her waist, steadying her. A tall hooded figure appeared in the doorway, its face shrouded by the black hood over its head. Its raspy breathing was rattling enough to send chills down anyone's spine. It reached a handless arm toward the compartment door. They heard a person, who was unmistakably Harry, screaming.

The pain had hit him all at once. It felt like a thousand knives being prodded at it at the same time. It felt like a white-hot poker being pushed through his scar into his brain. It felt like hot lava pouring into him and scalding his head. He heard himself scream, and tried to scoot back, away from the thing, but it was too late. The pain blinded him, and everything went blacker than it was before.

Harry winced at the brightness. He wanted the dark again. The smooth dark that didn't hurt his eyes.

"Harry?" he heard a soft voice and a felt hand gently prodding him. He tried to open his eyes more than a crack, but it hurt. He finally turned to the other side (with great difficulty), and slowly opened his eyes all the way. Then, he carefully turned back over and saw a blur of red and brown. *Who else? Ron and Hermione*, he thought. He suddenly noticed that even though she was blurred, Hermione still looked pretty.

"Come on. Give him some room! Let him breathe," he heard a familiar voice say, a voice he knew but couldn't place. Harry slowly sat up and ran both hands over his face briefly. As soon as his fingers touched his still sensitive scar, a quick second of blinding pain shot through him, making him shudder, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He groped around for his glasses, and someone handed it to him. He put them on and he could see again. He could see that the train was moving as smoothly as it had been before the tremor, that everything seemed normal. But deep down, he knew it wasn't. He looked around at the faces and saw Ron, Hermione, an elderly woman, and Remus Lupin.

"Remus?" Harry whispered, smiling. He couldn't remember when he had been happier to see him.

"That's Professor Lupin to you, Harry," Remus replied, smiling back.

"You're teaching again?" Harry asked excitedly, momentarily forgetting about the past events. Lupin nodded happily and engulfed Harry in a hug.

"So glad you're all right, Harry. Oh, and Sirius says hi," he said in his ear, then pulled away. Harry grinned and stood up somewhat shakily. He immediately sat down in a seat. The others followed.

"What happened?" Ron asked, fear displayed on his face.

"That was a Dementor, wasn't it?" Harry asked gravely.

After a while, Remus replied, "Would you like some chocolate, Harry?"

"Now, when I call your name, please come up and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head," Minerva McGonagall instructed crisply. The pool of first years in front of her all shuddered in unison, as if previously rehearsed.

"Americus, Marcia," she read off from the parchment. A tiny girl with big, round hazel eyes wrapped her cloak around her tighter and stepped up to the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head.

"Yes. Hmm...I see. Right. Very good...Hufflepuff!" the hat cried. Her panic turned into a grin as she got up and walked quickly to the Hufflepuff table.

"Benson, Sean" was next to become the first Slytherin. After that, "Crockford, Rachel" became a Ravenclaw. At the mention of Rachel's last name, Harry briefly wondered whether she was related to the old lady who had kept shaking his hand when he had first arrived at the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid, Doris Crockford. "Dartmouth, Brian" became the first Gryffindor, and was welcomed at the table with the loudest applause given so far. As the sorting continued, more and more nervous faces turned into joyful expressions as they went to their respectful tables.

"Malfoy, Robert", McGonagall called.

"MALFOY?" Ron repeated, incredulous. Harry was also puzzled. A tiny 11-year old boy with shocking blond hair just like Malfoy's stepped up to the stool with an air of amusement, sat down, and jammed the hat on his head.

"Not much of a challenge…Slytherin!" the hat proclaimed. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table to find Malfoy smirking back at him and then greeting Robert enthusiastically.

"As if ONE Malfoy isn't revolting enough," Ron muttered.

"How is he related to Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked, looking in the same direction as Harry. Harry only shrugged. The Sorting continued, and after "Yarrow, Matthew" was the last of 20 new Gryffindors this year, and "Zabini, Victoria" (Blaise's little sister) was the last Slytherin, the Sorting ended.

"Your attention, please," Professor McGonagall said from the staff table, tapping her goblet with her silver spoon lightly. All the students, including the newly sorted first years, who had a look of sheer excitement on their faces, looked up from their buzzing conversations. Albus Dumbledore stood up behind the table and beamed around at them all.

"Time flies! Well, I would first and foremost like to welcome all the new first years. Hope your first year at Hogwarts is bewitching and memorable," he said with merriment in his voice. Harry smiled as he remembered his first time at Hogwarts. He had been extremely nervous but all the Gryffindors had made him feel so welcome. Plus, it was where he had met his best friend, Ron Weasley.

"All first years please note that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden. Also, the hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds for now. Please do not risk yourselves by going into either of those," Dumbledore continued and he seemed to shoot a look directly at Harry, who knew this look well. Hut by the forest... THAT'S HAGRID'S HUT! Harry's brain realized. When he told the other two, they seemed just as shocked by this.

"Why is Hagrid's hut all of a sudden off-bounds?" Ron asked.

"Maybe he's growing some sort of dangerous animal in there that's supposed to help the school," Harry suggested, knowing it sounded lame.

"No. Hagrid would've told us in his letters. You know how he slips up all the time...wait a minute. Harry, when he owled you, or Ron, did he tell either of you anything?" Hermione asked. The other two shook their heads. They were interrupted by Dumbledore's other announcements.

"Mr. Filch, our caretaker," Dumbledore gestured with his hand to the old man with the twisted face standing at the door to the Great Hall, Mrs. Norris the cat in front of him as it had always been. No hint of happiness grazed his contorted complexion. "Has made up a revised list of the banned items at Hogwarts, bringing the grand total to...749 I believe, Argus?" he verified. Filch gave the slightest nod. "This includes Canary Creams," and Dumbledore looked at Fred and George Weasley this time who blushed and looked down at their plates, "Put-Outers, and Pimply Pumpkin Juice. For a complete list, go to Mr. Filch's office where it is posted," Dumbledore said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"And finally, since the Triwizard Tournament took place at Hogwarts last year, and the Yule Ball as a result was an immense success, this year, we will have the 'Fall With the Leaves' Ball, dedicated to the late Cedric Diggory," Dumbledore announced as the whole hall erupted into cheers and applause. Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, yes. We are all very excited-" at this point, Harry and Ron looked at Professor McGonagall, who was looking very disapproving. They both turned to each other with smiled threatening to turn into laughter. "-The Ball will be held after the first Hogsmeade weekend, on Saturday, which is exactly four weeks from now. Now, let's eat!" As soon as he said this, the food blossomed on the plates and tables, and the familiar gasps of the first years were heard throughout the hall. Since everyone was starving, all of them dug in immediately.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"We've got Defense Against The Dark Arts first thing in the morning! Followed by...ugh, Divination, and then Transfiguration. Lunch, then Charms, Herbology, and Double Potions! That's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, anyway. For Tuesday and Thursday, we've got...Herbology, Transfiguration, Defense Against The Dark Arts, then lunch, followed by Potions and Divination," Ron listed at breakfast the next morning, glancing over his schedule for the new term while chewing on a mouthful of eggs.

"I've got the same, except instead of the rubbish you all have as Divination, I've got Arithmancy," Hermione added. The three looked up in time to see the two Malfoys coming through the doors.

"Great. I'm not even done with my breakfast, and I think I'm going to spew," Ron muttered disgustedly. The two wandered over to the Gryffindor table, where, besides Ron, Hermione and Harry, not that many people were there or noticed.

"Well. The Golden Trio," the younger Malfoy said, smirking just like the older.

"Well. Malfoy's clone," Harry retorted. The younger blushed faintly, but the older Malfoy put his hand on the younger one's shoulder and shook his head when the younger looked up at him.

"At least he's a pureblood unlike Granger, richer than Weasley, and not a scar-ridden prat like yourself, Potter," the older one sneered and they left.

"I swear, I am going to hex him into the next dimension," Ron said through gritted teeth.

"Let's just go to class," Hermione replied and stood up. The other two followed, seething with anger. The three walked quickly to the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, and as soon as Harry entered, he was engulfed with memories: Pixies with the git Lockhart, boggart lessons, Grindylows, Hinkypunks, werewolves. He followed Ron and Hermione to a seat at the front of the class. A few minutes later, the bell rang and slowly, their fellow Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs filed into the classroom and sat down. Lupin arrived through the small door behind the teacher's desk. He stood in front of the class, grinning broadly and clapping his hands together. Harry grinned back. He was excited.

"Welcome, class! Your first Defense Against The Dark Arts lesson of your 5th year! Some of you may remember me from your 3rd year. I am Professor Lupin, and I will be your teacher this year as well. We are going to have a smashing lesson today!" Harry was filled with anticipation.

"We will start with...NOTES!" Lupin exclaimed, still grinning. The class groaned, but pulled out parchments, quills and inkbottles. Harry's anticipation died, but he was still happy that Lupin was back.

"Now. You have all heard of boggarts. Am I right?" Lupin asked as he waved his hand at the board, where words began to appear, curving gently across the board. The students followed as Lupin continued to talk.

"Well, they have a closely related, but just as mischievous, brothers. These are called Nettleworts. They are closely related in the fact that they also like dark enclosed spaces and are shape-shifters. But they're different from boggarts. Can anyone tell me how?" Lupin asked, looking around the room. Both Hermione's and Susan Bones' hand shot up in the air, Hermione's much quicker than Susan's, of course.

"Susan?" Lupin called on her.

"Well, I don't think Nettleworts can be killed by laughter," she answered tentatively. Lupin smiled at her.

"That's right. There's a special spell to kill these vicious things. Five points for Hufflepuff. Anything else?" he asked. Hermione's hand shot up again, and this time, she was called on.

"Nettleworts can take the shape of more than one of your fears, therefore panicking and confusing the person," she answered perfectly.

"Good! Five points for Gryffindor," he said and Hermione beamed. Harry couldn't help but help and think, God, she looks adorable when she laughs. Uncannily, Ron was thinking the same thing on the other side of Hermione as he stared at her, smiling.

The many hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were buzzing about the upcoming Ball; even the suits of armor were clanking noisily about it throughout the day.

"So. Harry Potter," Ron Weasley said into his quill, holding it up to his mouth as a microphone as Harry had taught him over the years. Harry looked up from his Divination homework.

"Whew. Making up predictions is hard! What, Ron?" he asked a bit impatiently.

"WHO are you taking to the Fall Ball?" Ron asked in deep fake voice.

"I don't know! Everyone's been asking me that all day! I don't know," Harry trailed off as Hermione's face popped into his mind suddenly: her soft brown locks, her porcelain skin, her gorgeous smile, her deep big cinnamon eyes.

"What!?" he exclaimed as he felt someone shaking him and felt himself come back to reality to find his best friend, not the pretty girl.

"Harry, you looked like someone put a memory charm on you! You got a glazed look on your face. You looked pretty stupid, actually... are you OK?" Ron asked, smiling a bit.

"Yeah, Ron. I'm fine. I'm glad my face amuses you," Harry said crossly, turning back to his homework.

"Amuse? It's my comic relief!" Ron said, laughing. Harry frowned at him and rolled his eyes. They fell silent as they completed their predictions about what would happen to them in 10 years. Harry's last prediction read, "I will die of a deadly disease called Wartolomew", while Ron's read "I will choke on my brothers' Ton - Tongue Toffees and die a gruesome death." At half past nine, Harry stood up and stretched, yawning loudly.

"I am unbelievably tired," Harry said. "G'night, Ron." With that, he gathered all his things and trudged up to the 5th year dormitories. Ron shook his head at him, smiling, and started packing up his own belongings. Just then, he heard the door to the common room open and someone run in. Ron looked up just in time to see Hermione's tear-streaked face run and sit into one of the plush chairs facing away from everything in one of the corners. Oh god. What happened? Ron thought, panicking for a moment. Don't be stupid, Ron. Nothing serious happened! Go see why she's crying, his mind snapped back at him. Ron slowly and quietly got up and walked toward the chair. He could hear her quiet cries and occasional sniffles from about a foot away from where she was sitting. He inched further, and when he peeked over the tall-backed chair just enough, he saw her, tears cascading down her cheeks. She looks beautiful even when she's crying, Ron thought. It broke his heart to see her cry. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, hug her, kiss her...Whoa, Ron. Slow down, his mind warned. He took a deep breath and said softly, "Hermione?"

She looked up quickly and smiled a little. "Hi, Ron."

"What's wrong?" he asked her, leaning closer. Ron, be careful. You don't want her to know! His mind cautioned. Ron immediately pulled back and stood up straight, standing next to the chair's right arm. She shook her head.

"Nothing," she answered.

"Then why are you crying like a baby?" he asked, his voice a little louder this time. If he didn't remain his composure, his feelings would unravel right there. She sighed deeply.

"It's stupid," she said, shaking her head.

"Hermione, I'm your friend. I'm here to listen. Come on. Tell me," he coaxed. She sighed again.

"It's just...I've liked this boy in my Arithmancy class for a little while. Not a big crush or anything. I just liked his personality, and he didn't look bad either. He was really nice to me on the first day of classes and helped me with everything. Not that I needed it, but I appreciated it just the same. Today, I mustered up what little courage I had and asked him to the Ball. And, well, let's just say he could pass for Malfoy's clone, minus the looks," she answered, breaking down again. Ron's heart broke even more, but he managed to regain his "friendly" façade. He briskly walked away from the chair towards the roaring fire.

"That's all? Hermione, I know you better than this. You never used to care about this stuff. Most of the guys in this school are prats. Just get over it," he exclaimed, sitting down. He heard Hermione stand up. She turned around.

"It's not that easy, Ron," she told him. Ron secretly agreed, but responded, "Sure it is, Hermione! All you have to do is ogle another guy. I mean, there's no risk involved. Nothing bad. Just move on," he shrugged. Hermione strode over quickly and stood in front of him.

"And what would YOU know about taking risks, Ron? Hmm? I don't see you asking anyone. Is that because you think every girl you ask is going to turn you down? You're probably right. I take more risks in a day than you, and I'M the 'boring' one," she retorted, her voice edged with anger. Ron's sympathy slowly turned to anger. He stood up.

"Hermione, I take risks, OK? If I didn't, you would probably still be Petrified," he replied, his anger rising.

"That's NOT the kind of risk I'm talking about and you know it. In fourth year, you were too stupid to even notice my GENDER until AFTER the Yule Ball. You're too cowardly to take a chance. You're too afraid your heart's going to get trampled on, so you take the safe way out. Well, not me, Ron," she exclaimed, crossing her hands over her chest and looking down. Ron looked up, livid.

"I didn't ask you fourth year because I thought it would change our relationship if you said yes and things...happened. I was LOOKING OUT for us. And secondly, don't judge me, Hermione. There are a lot of things you don't know about me still," he answered.

"Really? Like what?" she asked with an edge.

"OK. If I'm so scared of taking risks, would I be able to do this?" he said, and without thinking, he leaned in, placed his hands on her cheeks, and pressed his lips against hers.

Hermione's eyes opened wide in shock. Ron is kissing me! Her brain screamed. And I'm not pulling away! Immediately followed. Ron slowly pulled away and looked into her eyes, where surprise replaced anger. As Hermione stared back, she noticed that his bright blue eyes had flecks of green in them that shone through.

"No, you wouldn't," she said, swallowing. Ron stepped back.

"All right, then," he said, straightening his already straight shirt. They just stood there, looking at each other. "Ron." Hermione broke the silence.

"What?" he asked, a little afraid.

"I...I'm sorry I exploded at you like that," she said softly. At this, Ron approached her and placed his hand on her left cheek, making her look at him.

"It's OK, 'Mione," he replied just as softly. He kissed her forehead, but her head tilted up more as she had meant to look in his eyes, and their lips touched again. This time, they both relaxed into the kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning, thinking about the question he had been asked all day and the one face that kept following. "Who are you going to ask to the Ball" was all his mind repeated over and over again, and Hermione's flawless face beamed at him right after. Why is this happening to me all of a sudden!? He thought, frustrated. Wait. No. The same thing happened last year. Remember? His brain recalled. Harry now remembered. At the Yule Ball in their fourth year, Hermione had looked so pretty with her blue dress robes and her soft hair piled up in a perfect bun, her smile big enough to light up all the hallways in Hogwarts. Why didn't I ask her then!? He asked himself. Because I'm stupid, he answered himself.

At about ten, he decided he couldn't take it anymore. He sighed and got up slowly as not to wake the others. He quietly opened the door to the dorms and tiptoed out, descending the stairs to the common room. He stopped dead on the second stair where he caught a clear glimpse of the scene taking place: Ron. Hermione. Kissing.

Not just kissing. Kissing Passionately. As if they were already boyfriend and girlfriend. Harry's eyes grew wide at first. Then, he felt his heart contract until it exploded in a million pieces, the shattering in his ears. He couldn't believe this was happening, wouldn't believe it. But there it was, happening right before his very eyes, and him powerless to stop it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Neville," Harry said, looking at his schedule. He had just noticed something a little odd.

"What?" Neville said through a mouthful of toast.

"How come we don't have Care of Magical Creatures this year?" Harry asked, puzzled. Neville shrugged.

"Must be because Hagrid's hut is out of bounds," he answered simply. Harry, however, was not convinced. He needed a more elaborate answer. As the bell rang signaling the beginning of morning classes, Harry still mulled it over in his head as he walked to class. As soon as he entered, he looked up to avoid tripping over anything, and saw Ron sitting at the usual table while Hermione sat on the other side of the room, immersed in a book. His heart ached as the memory of the two kissing the previous night came back to him in a flash. Oh go on. You missed your chance. Just…be happy for them, he thought to himself. He casually walked over to Ron's side and sat in his seat.

"Morning, Ron," Harry said, glancing at his schedule.

"Morning, Harry," Ron replied back, quieter than usual.

"How come you didn't come up to bed last night until 11?" Harry asked in a friendly Oh-I'm-Just-Wondering tone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ron turn a light shade of pink.

"I was just…studying. You know, just in case Trelawney calls on me again. Don't want to look like a complete fool in front of the whole class," Ron said, laughing nervously. Does Harry know? Does he suspect? He wondered. Suspect what? That you were studying a little too much? His brain responded. Ron agreed. He was being paranoid.

"Yeah. Hey, did you notice how we don't have Care Of Magical Creatures this year?" Harry asked, changing the subject. As much as he was upset about Hermione and Ron, he didn't want to make his best friend any more uncomfortable than he already was. Plus, Harry thought, if Ron turned redder, he'd be purple.

"You noticed too? I wonder why," Ron said in a relieved voice.

"Neville said it was because Hagrid's hut is out of bounds," Harry answered.

"Yeah, but Hagrid teaches class OUTSIDE. His hut has nothing to do with it," Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Harry answered.

"D'you think he's hiding something?" Ron asked cautiously, as if he half didn't want to know.

"I dunno, but I'm going down to his hut today at 3 with my cloak. Want to come?" Harry asked. Ron nodded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At precisely 3 o'clock, Harry ran up to his room, grabbed his cloak and stuffed it in his robe pockets, and ran back down to meet Ron by the entrance. He noticed that Hermione was also there, and they were talking animatedly. Harry approached them quickly and said, "OK. Let's go. You coming with us, Hermione?"

"When do I not?" she asked, smiling. He forced a smile in return, and it surprised him how painful it was to see her beam at him when he knew he had no chance. They quickly left for Hagrid's, throwing the Invisibility Cloak over themselves as soon as their feet touched grass. They walked swiftly to the old hut by the Forest. Harry reached out and rapped on the door hard 3 times. There was no answer.

"Hagrid! Open up! We know you're in there!" Hermione yelled.

"We do?" Ron asked. Hermione nodded.

"I heard his kettle go off," she replied. Ron immediately yelled this out also. After a few minutes, the door slowly creaked open a crack.

"Hagrid?" Harry tentatively called. Instead, Fang peeked out from the crack and immediately jumped on the three, knocking them to the ground. Harry pushed the cloak off of them and Fang started licking them everywhere. Ron laughed.

"We're glad to see you too, boy," he said as he got up, brushing himself off. The other two followed, scratching Fang behind his ears.

"Is Hagrid there, Fang?" Harry bent down and asked. Fang suddenly let out a low menacing growl. Harry looked up to see the other two shrugging.

"Where's Hagrid, boy?" he asked softly. Fang let out a louder growl and walked over to the hut. Harry slowly followed, Ron and Hermione right behind him. Harry approached the door and pushed it open, a loud creak breaking the silence as he did so. He peeked around and was hit with shock. The house was a mess. The bed was unmade, the dishes were piling in the sink, the teapot had been left on for too long so it had started to shriek continuously, and the table and floor were dusty beyond reason. Harry motioned for the others to come in. As they did, they also gasped with surprise. Even though Hagrid was a half-giant, he was the neatest half- giant they had ever known. It wasn't like Hagrid to leave his house like this.

"Wow," he heard Ron say. Harry walked over to the fireplace, where he saw dying red embers and soft wisps of smoke coming from it.

"Someone's been here," he stated. Hermione wandered over.

"What?" she asked. Harry pointed to the fireplace.

"The embers are still hot. Someone was here just a few minutes ago, I'll bet," he said.

"Who?" Ron asked, joining. Harry shrugged, then noticed something shiny and dark lying on the dusty mantel. He carefully picked it up and looked at it.

"Whose is it?" Ron asked with wide eyes. Again, Harry shrugged. Then, he removed his wand and placed it to the tip of the other piece of wood.

"Priori Incantatem!" he said softly. As they watched, a tiny green skull with a black snake protruding from its sneering mouth appeared over their heads. Harry knew this mark all too well: The Dark Mark.

He heard Hermione gasp. The Mark lingered for a few seconds, then disappeared. Harry took a deep breath and placed the unknown wand in his robe pocket. Then, he walked to the middle of the hut, pointed his wand, and said, "Revelatio!"

A pink, transparent version of Hagrid appeared. Then, a pink transparent man in a hood also appeared, holding his wand in front of him. The Hagrid apparition looked scared. As they watched, there was a dull but immense green light, the fatal words were mouthed, and then Hagrid was lying on the floor, utterly still.

It had been one week since they had been to Hagrid's hut. They had rushed back as quickly as possible and up to the common room an hour before dinner. Hermione had burst out crying, and Ron had gathered her to him and kissed her forehead repeatedly, comforting her. It hurt Harry to see this, so he had excused himself and ran up to his dorm room.

"Come in, Harry," Dumbledore invited Harry into his office. Harry entered, remembering the other times he had been in here. He saw the Sorting Hat, perched up high on a shelf. He saw the other headmasters of Hogwarts napping peacefully in their paintings. He saw Fawkes, Dumbledore's faithful Phoenix who saved his life in his second year. Dumbledore motioned for him to sit, so he did.

"I know why you're here, Harry," Dumbledore said even before Harry could open his mouth. He had an uncanny ability of doing that.

"How?" he asked, puzzled.

"Our beloved caretaker is sharper than you think. And you can hear Fang barking happily a mile away," he answered, smiling, his blue eyes twinkling. Harry smiled back.

"What happened in there, Harry?" Dumbledore asked more quietly now. Harry knew this was coming. He took a deep breath and explained everything he had seen. When he was done, Dumbledore had a quizzical expression on his face.

"I know Hagrid is not dead. In fact, he is quite safe at the moment."

"So Hagrid's all right, then?" Harry asked excitedly. Dumbledore nodded, smiling.

"He's fine, my boy. Now the question is, WHO died down there? And who killed them?" he mused. Harry had thought the headmaster would know the answer to this too.

"Well, Harry. That worry's for another time. How are your friends?" Dumbledore asked, his cheerful expression back on again. Harry wondered what to say. I saw them a couple of nights ago, snogging in the common room, Professor. That's perfect…Harry remained silent.

"No problems, I trust?" he inquired. Harry shook his head.

"We're fine. It's just stress. You know," he shrugged it off. Dumbledore stared at him for a moment, then got up.

"Then you may go, Harry. If there isn't anything else," he added.

"No, sir" was Harry's reply as he exited.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why can't I sleep?" Hermione muttered to herself as she turned onto her left side for the 14th time in 16 minutes (she had been counting). Every time she closed her eyes, that night in the common room with Ron popped into her head. The way he held her, the way he made that other guy fly right out of her head as soon as she looked into his eyes, or when he touched his soft lips to hers...

She decided she had to talk to him about it, or she'd never get any sleep, or worse, pass any of her classes. She quietly got up, threw her nightgown over her pajamas, and tiptoed out of the dorm and down the stairs. Ron and Dean came into view as she descended, Ron's hair glowing orange in the roaring fire's reflection, his brow furrowed as if he was thinking hard. He had his robes off, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows. His tie was a little loose at the neck. Hermione thought he looked adorable. Wait. WHAT? She asked herself, surprised. You know you like him, Hermione, her mind retaliated. No, I don't! Ron Weasley is my friend, she said stubbornly. Then why did you cry yourself to sleep the night before and after the Yule Ball? Because you were sad he didn't ask you! Her brain responded. Hermione was about to protest, but she realized that it was correct. After a couple of seconds of deep thought, she came to the conclusion with a small smile on her lips: I like him. More than as a friend. She took a deep breath and went all the way down to where the other two were sitting.

"Dean, can I speak to Ron for a moment alone, please?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. Both boys looked up from the chess game, and the pieces also looked up at her, but with anger. After a minute, Dean nodded stood up, stretching. He eyed Ron before climbing up to the dorms. Ron also stood up after quickly packing the chess set away.

"Yes, Hermione?" he asked curiously.

"Um," she cleared her throat, "about the other night..." she trailed off. At the mention of this, Ron turned a light shade of pink.

"Yeah?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and shuffling his feet. Should I just tell her I like her? He asked himself.

"It was..." 'amazing' came to her mind at once, but "unexpected" was what she found herself saying. Ron only nodded.

"It was only...one friend, comforting another, right?" Ron asked uncertainly. Hermione's breath hitched. He doesn't. Her heart sank lower and lower until it dropped out completely. She was shocked that this was happening to her, and THIS was unexpected as well. She hadn't thought she would take it so hard.

"Oh. Um, um, yeah," she stuttered. "Definitely." Now it was Ron's turn to be surprised as his heart shattered. She doesn't. He realized he had waited too long. She had probably moved on to better people than him. He should've known.

"All right, then. I'm...I'm going to bed now," he replied, biting his tongue as the urge to kiss her washed over him. She nodded and whispered, "G'night, Ron." He stood there for a minute, then realized he was supposed to move. He picked up his chess set and slowly walked to and up the stairs, more and more against his will.

Hermione wanted to scream for him to come back, wanted to hold him again, kiss him again as she had the other night. She bit her lip hard, biting back the words she so desperately wanted to tell him. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched his retreating back. She quickly blinked them away and stood up straight. As Ron disappeared, however, she fell back on the couch and her composure melted away, tears rolling down her cheeks, revealing a girl who felt so stupid for not telling the guy she liked more than anything else the truth.

Harry was exhausted. The Quidditch practice alone was tying him down. Plus, in order for his O.W.L. preparations, the teachers were piling on more homework than usual. Harry was acting captain since they hadn't had a chance to properly vote for one, but Harry had other plans for the captain position. He returned one night, muddy and tired to the bone, to the common room, to find Hermione immersed in Hogwarts: A History for the millionth time. He rolled his eyes as he plopped down next to her, and saw Dean and Seamus playing a game of Exploding Snap in the corner. He smiled a little, too exhausted to go the distance.

"Harry! You're dripping mud all over me!" she exclaimed as she shoved him. He laughed and scooted closer to her.

"Is this better?" he asked. Hermione laughed as she got up and moved to the opposite couch. After a minute, Harry got up and moved to the spot next to hers.

"You know, somehow, its warmer over here," he said as he sat and curled up next to her, making her entire right sleeve drip with muck.

"HARRY!" she laughed, slamming her book closed.

"What!?" he asked, putting on an 'innocent' face, but a grin fought its way through. She smiled, and he couldn't pull his eyes away. Harry, you SAID you were going to get over her. This is not the way to go about it, he sternly reminded himself. At this point, he tore his eyes away.

"Harry? Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked, completely serious now. She had made up her mind last night that if she was going to find out anything, she had to look in the right places.

"Sure. What?" he replied. Hermione took a deep breath.

"Has Ron... mentioned me at all to you?" she asked. Harry didn't know how to answer. It was true that Ron had mentioned her practically every day since that night, trying to be subtle about it by saying things like, "Did you see Hermione at all today?" or "I think Hermione's in the library now. She always is". But how was he going to tell her that? He couldn't tell the girl he liked that his best friend also liked her. Plus, he didn't want to make Ron out to seem like a fool.

"Um, yes," he answered cautiously. Hermione seemed to stiffen up.

"What did he say?" she asked casually. Harry knew this was coming. He hesitated, then just decided to tell her the truth. He thought it would at least make her happy.

"He...he's mentioned you a lot. He seems to be subtle about it, but he's extremely obvious. He keeps wondering where you are every 5 minutes, and he keeps saying things like, "Oh! Hermione missed lunch! I wonder if she's OK!" I think…I think he cares about you a lot," Harry said. Immediately, he felt like he had swallowed a Bludger. A huge lump formed in his throat all of a sudden. This was a lot harder than he had thought. Hermione, however, seemed cheered up.

"He has?" she asked. "N-not that I care especially," she mumbled right after, but she was still smiling as she looked down. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He had to get out of there. He stood up quickly and grabbed his broom sitting on the floor, and made a quick exit, saying, "I have to go clean up" over his shoulder when Hermione asked him where he was going.

Hermione was happy about Ron, but she was very observant. She had noticed that Harry had seemed stricken when she had been happy about Ron. She could've sworn she had even seen tears glistening in his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!" Lee Jordan screamed into the microphone. It was the first Quidditch match of the year, and everyone at school was filled up to the top with excitement. The players were filled with anxiousness and determination. Harry had given them a short but great pep talk minutes before the match, and they were psyched and ready to win. Both teams' Captains (Harry and Draco Malfoy) shook hands. Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and both teams rose in the air and circled the field.

"I want a nice, clean game!" she announced, and then blew he whistle once more and threw the Quaffle up in the air, which was followed by the two nasty Bludgers, and finally, the tiny golden winged ball the size of a walnut, the Snitch. It gleamed before Harry's eyes for a split second before disappearing. The same thing happened to Malfoy, who was the other Seeker for Slytherin. He gave Harry a malicious look before speeding off. Harry shook his head. He was determined to win.

"Quaffle passed to Angelina Johnson, a very attractive girl, now to Bell, who puts it through the hoop AGAIN! Gryffindor STILL leads, 50 to 30!" Lee exclaimed. Harry pumped his fist in the air. He was happy with the way things were going, but Slytherin was gaining fast on them. Harry had to catch the Snitch. He happened to glance down and saw a speck of gold, so he immediately dived. Malfoy, being sharp and quick, grabbed hold onto Harry's Firebolt tail twigs so he followed Harry closely behind. Harry glanced back for a second before looking forward again, but it was too late. The Snitch was gone. He felt Malfoy let go and grin at him evilly as Harry before going off in the other direction. Harry silently cursed him.

The score was now 80 to 80. Harry was growing more and more anxious by the minute. Where is the stupid Snitch? He wondered, irritated. He glanced around him and suddenly spotted something else: three figures in hooded cloaks walking toward the castle. Dementors? Harry thought. One lowered his hood just before he entered the castle, and Harry realized it was a middle- aged man. Aurors, he corrected himself. What were Aurors doing here? Then, he saw it again: it was hovering about fifty feet below him. He wasn't going to let it get away this time. He raced toward it, but realized that Malfoy was on his tail again. He groaned and threw his mind about for quick ideas. Then, one hit him. Harry suddenly dived, keeping an eye on the Snitch still. Malfoy dumbly dived with him. Then, as they were both approaching the ground, he quickly turned to see fear in Malfoy's eyes. Harry grinned and turned his broom upward at the last second. Unfortunately, so did Malfoy.

Harry groaned. He was running out of ideas. Then, he decided to try something he had seen once in an old basketball game at the Dursleys’. He turned sharply to the left. Malfoy followed. Then, Harry swiftly moved to the right and reached out, feeling the wings flapping against his closed hand.

"Harry Potter's caught the Snitch!" Lee exclaimed. "Gryffindor wins, 230 to 80!" Harry grinned as he held the Snitch up to the crowd. For once, something had come along to cheer him up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been one gripping Quidditch game, and Hermione's voice was sore from screaming her head off. She was also exhausted, but not quite that she wanted to fall asleep yet. She wanted to think.

After the game, everyone filed off to their respectful houses, Slytherin the most angry as usual. Harry felt happier than he had been the past few days. Playing Quidditch, whether it was practice, a real game, or when hanging out with Ron, gave him peace of mind for a couple of hours at least. He sighed contentedly as he climbed the winding stairs to the dormitories, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The book in her hand lay open, but she was far from reading it. She was staring into the fire, events of the past few days unfolding and replaying in her mind. A smile spread over her face as she remembered the specific night in the common room. Just then, she heard a soft voice behind her.

"If that's what you call reading, you're not doing a very good job." Hermione smiled wider before straightening her face and turning around to face the boy with flaming red hair. He smiled back as he sat behind her and looked over her shoulder.

"Hogwarts: A History? Wow, Hermione. If you're not concentrating on THAT, something must be wrong!" he mocked, grinning. She laughed and turned around to face him. For a minute, they just sat in silence, staring into each other's eyes. He broke the silence first.

"'Mione, about that other night..."he said softly.

"What?" she asked, just as softly.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

"Sorry? Why?" she asked, confused.

"Because. I know I shouldn't have done that. I wanted to comfort you, make you make you feel better. Not snog you," he explained, looking down at his open hands. Hermione smiled and placed her hands in his, making him look up at her.

"I'm not sorry," she whispered. "And you know what? You DID comfort me, Ron. It took my mind off every crappy thing that had happened that day, and that's not an easy thing to do."

Ron smiled, then slowly leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers. She shivered, even though her back was to the huge fire. He started to pull away, but she placed her hands on his cheeks and captured his lips in a tender kiss. Ron didn't hesitate to kiss back. When they finally pulled away, they were both breathless. Ron attacked with full force again, and this time Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck. He slowly pushed her down so he was on top of her, never breaking the kiss. Her hands went through his soft hair while his hand traveled onto her waist under her shirt. She laughed against his kiss, his hands leaving butterflies along her skin.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did you guys see the Aurors go into Hogwarts yesterday during the game?" Harry asked his best friends at breakfast the next morning, following it up with a spoonful of porridge. Ron and Hermione shook their heads.

"Well, there were three of them who walked into Hogwarts just before I spotted the Snitch for the second time. Wonder what they were here for?" Harry wondered out loud.

"Maybe they were here to investigate the magic that had happened in Hagrid's hut," Hermione suggested, fully knowing she was right. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her lap. She knew it couldn't be Harry as he was sitting across from her. She looked to her left and saw Ron eating with a smile on his face. She smiled herself and looked back with a business-like face.

"Probably," Harry agreed.

"Dumbledore might know something about it," she said. She felt the hand slide farther up the side of her thigh. She bit her lip.

"I'm going to go talk to Dumbledore," Harry announced, standing up. As Ron pinched her lightly, she let out a small yelp, which made Harry look at her strangely as well as some other Gryffindors.

"Oh gosh! I dropped some porridge onto my skirt! Big stain!" she tried to cover, blushing. "Sorry!" Harry stared a moment longer and then left. Hermione turned to Ron and slapped his hand away.

"Ow! Don't tell me you didn't like it, 'cause I know you did," he said, grinning mischievously.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Professor, why were there Aurors here yesterday?" Harry asked as soon as he had sat down.

"Boy, Harry. You don't miss anything, do you?" Dumbledore asked, smiling. Harry smiled back, waiting for his answer.

"They were here to investigate the events in Hagrid's hut," he answered.

"I thought so. What did they find?" Harry asked anxiously.

Dumbledore sighed and said, "Dark, dark magic, Harry."

"What d'you mean, Dark Magic?" Harry asked, tensing up.

"The Killing Curse and the Adflatus Quietum spell have been cast," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Professor, the only thing I know on your list is the Killing Curse. What's the other one?" Harry asked, still contemplating whether he really wanted to know.

"The Adflatus Quietum spell is another version of the Killing Curse, but it is in some ways more gruesome. Not only does the person die, but their insides get...wrecked. They are twisted so that no human could possibly put it right or figure out what happened," Dumbledore explained. Harry drew in a sharp breath.

"Professor, I...when I was in the hut, I didn't see any signs of that," Harry stated.

"Of course not, Harry. You have to use it right after the Killing Curse, or say it and then follow it up with the Killing Curse. In this case, it was performed right after the Killing Curse, so you couldn't see the person's reaction," Dumbledore said. Harry sat very still, trying to register all of this. So a person posed as Hagrid had somehow gotten into his hut, and Aurors or Death Eaters had followed him in and killed him, then mangled him. So where was the real Hagrid? Did he know? Who was the imposter? Then, something occurred to him.

"Hang on. I'll be right back," he said quickly and raced out of the office back to his dorm, where he found the unidentified wand in his trunk. Then, he raced back to Dumbledore's office at top speed. He placed the wand on his desk, trying to catch his breath as he sat down. Dumbledore examined the wand, then conjured up a glass of water for Harry, who drank it gratefully.

"What's this?" he asked, lifting the wand up.

"I...I took it from Hagrid's hut. I found it on the mantel, which was still warm. It was as if someone had been there minutes ago," Harry hastily explained, praying that Dumbledore wasn't going to tell him off for taking it.

"Really? Interesting." Dumbledore muttered, examining the wand.

"And when I performed the Revelatio spell on it, a smaller version of the Dark Mark appeared on it. It disappeared after a few seconds, though," Harry explained. Dumbledore was quiet. Then, he strode over to his fireplace, threw some powder in and said, "Ollivander!" A few seconds later, Mr. Ollivander's head appeared in it. Harry blinked again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Could you examine this wand, Mercurius?" Dumbledore calmly asked.

"Certainly. May I have it?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded and placed the wand in Ollivander's mouth. Ollivander nodded curtly and him and then his head disappeared. Dumbledore wandered back to his desk and sat down behind his desk.

"Professor, where is Hagrid?" Harry asked. "I'd like to owl him and tell him what's happened."

"Already done, my boy," Dumbledore replied. Then, he gave Harry a small smile. "It's all right, Harry. Hagrid knows and he's looking into it. He will be back shortly with some information," he reassured. Harry only nodded. Somehow, he wasn't convinced.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Who could be the imposter?" Ron asked, his face showing alarm. Harry had just told him and Hermione about his discussion with Dumbledore. Harry shrugged.

"Someone who has it in for Hagrid," Hermione replied.

"Who, though? I can't think of anyone," Harry said.

"No one?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head.

"Hang on a minute...What about Madame Maxime?" Ron asked.

"What about her?" Harry said.

"Remember last year after the Yule Ball, when he told her he was a half-giant? And she got all huffy and walked off?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, so?" Harry asked, still not getting where this was going.

"Think about it! Maybe someone other than us heard them, found out, and decided to go after him," Ron suggested.

"You two SPIED on Hagrid and Madame Maxime?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"No! We were just walking and happened to see them," Ron said defensively.

"Wait...how do you know we SPIED on them? Ron just said 'heard', not 'saw'...You knew they were already going to be there, didn't you?" Harry asked, quickly figuring it out. Hermione blushed a little and exclaimed, "Of course not!"

"Hermione." Ron said slowly. She groaned.

"Oh, all right! Hagrid told me that afternoon that he was going to tell her. I had gone to have tea with him. I didn't invite you two because I couldn't find you," she explained.

"I still don't think Madame Maxime has anything to do with anything," Harry replied, thinking hard. After a few minutes, he couldn't help a yawn from escaping his lips. He glanced at his watch to see that it was past 10 pm.

"I'm off to bed. G'night," he said through another yawn. He quickly got up and left. The other two stayed, still quiet.

"So. Hermione," Ron spoke first.

"So, Ron," she replied. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Why are things so weird? We never had an awkward silence before," she said.

"No, we did. Remember right after the Yule Ball? We came back to the dorm and I asked if you had kissed Vicky good night yet, and you said, 'Yes as a matter of fact,' and then there was a long silence before I started raving," he recalled. She laughed again.

"Oh, I remember! I can't believe you called him Vicky! I NEVER called him that!" she exclaimed, lying down on the couch.

"You should've. That's the only thing you DIDN'T do that night," he answered, also laughing. After a few seconds, Hermione asked, "Were you jealous that night, Ron?" He looked at her face and realized she was serious.

"A bit," he replied softly. She sat up and lifted his chin up so she met his eyes.

"Why?" she asked. She wanted to hear his reason.

"Because...because you were with him, and I was with a girl who HARRY had fixed me up with who had deserted me after the first dance. And you were enjoying yourself so much, and you looked so beautiful that night, and...as much as I wanted to ask you weeks before the dance, I couldn't get the courage to do it. Also, I thought you might say no," he explained. "So I just decided to be mad at myself, and when I looked over at you and Viktor whispering to each other and laughing, I became even more mad at myself and jealous of him. I wished I could be him that night over and over again," he remembered, smiling.

Hermione smiled back. "I wish that you're yourself instead of Viktor. Especially since he's a terrible kisser," she whispered. Ron leaned in and captured her lips in a soft kiss. She didn't hesitate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry brushed his teeth, then realized he had left his tie back in the common room. He groaned inwardly. He didn't want to go back down. He was warm up in the dorms. He sighed and padded quickly down the stairs to find Ron and Hermione going at it once again on the couch. The anger boiled up inside of him, much to his surprise.

"Be my girlfriend, Hermione," he heard Ron whisper, followed by more kissing.

"Is that a yes, then?" Ron asked. Hermione laughed and they kissed again. Harry suddenly had a terrible urge to knock Ron out, or to push him off the parapets...

"What are we going to tell Harry?" she asked. Harry couldn't stand it.

"Harry already knows," he said loudly enough for them to hear, then stormed back upstairs, his tie still on the table in the room.

"Shit," Ron muttered as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Hermione slowly sat up.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," she said, a feeling of guiltiness wash over her. Guilty? What? she asked herself, frowning for a moment.

"What are we going to do?" she asked him nervously.

"For one thing, we are NOT making out in the common room anymore," Ron answered. Hermione slapped his arm.

"This is serious!" she exclaimed.

"Who said I wasn't being serious?" Ron asked, a smile playing at his lips. Hermione couldn't help the small smile that spread across her own face. Even as she did, the guilty feeling was growing inside her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry just sat there, still as a statue. He had been sitting there for - he glanced at his watch - an hour now. Thoughts were racing through his head faster than his Firebolt. Just accept it, Harry. She doesn't like you like that, he tried to console himself. It seemed to work for a split second. Then, just as suddenly, his head was in his hands and the silent tears were cascading down his face and he couldn't stop them. Little did he know that in the common room, Hermione felt like crying a bit herself.

The next day seemed to go slower than a snail. Everything seemed to drag on.

Not everyone noticed, and some Slytherins took this to their advantage (more specifically, Malfoy: "Potter, you look like someone died! No, you look worse...like when Weasley realizes that even a snake has more money than him!" At this, Ron had almost attacked him, and if Hermione hadn't pulled him back, Malfoy would be in the hospital wing now.) People noticed. Hermione, Ron and Ginny, who was still pining after Harry, noticed. Everyone in Gryffindor noticed. This was clearly not Harry's day, because Snape had taken twenty-five points from Gryffindor for Harry's lack of attention, he had spilled Bubotuber Pus on himself in Herbology, and he had to put up with Malfoy's taunting remarks all through the first half of the day. It took all the power he had not to sock him.

After the day's classes were over, Harry headed straight for dinner, then back to the common room, glad that the crap was behind him. He entered to see Ron and Hermione talking and laughing in front of the fireplace, not noticing him. He rolled his eyes and walked toward the corner and settled himself in one of the high-backed chairs, starting on his homework.

Ginny Weasley had seen Harry Potter come in. She had seen him look at Hermione and Ron with a painful sadness, then go sit in one of the high- backed chairs in the corner. She had also observed that Hermione and Ron hadn’t noticed him, and that had hurt him somehow. Ginny felt her heart breaking for Harry. She couldn't stand to see him like this. Set aside the fact that she had a huge crush on him, she was also his friend. And she had to go make him feel better...somehow.

"Damn Snape," Harry muttered to himself as he finished his 2-foot long essay on how powdered root of Asphodel acts in the creation of the Prophylaxis Potion. He glanced quickly at his watch, realizing it was ten. He started to pack his things, noticing that the room was quiet. Everyone must have gone up to bed, he thought. Then, he heard soft footsteps behind him. Must be Hermione, he thought, and sped up. The person sat on the chair's arm and he could feel eyes on him. He slowly looked up to see Ginny.

"Hey, Gin," he said softly before resuming his packing. He put away his inkbottles and started to stand up, but she gently pushed him back down. He was a bit surprised, even though he did not show it.

"Harry, I'm really sorry about the whole Ron and Hermione thing. My brother can be kind of an asshole sometimes," Ginny said comfortingly. Harry laughed.

"Kind of," he replied, sighing.

"Is it me?" Harry said after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" Ginny wondered.

"Last year, at the Yule Ball, Parvati ditched me for some Durmstrang guy. And now this," he went further.

"No, Harry! Of course its not you!" she exclaimed, getting off the arm and kneeling in front of him. He looked down. "Maybe it is," he muttered.

"Harry, look at me," she instructed. He reluctantly looked up. "It. Is. Not. Your. Fault," she said slowly and distinctly.

"How do you know?" he asked defiantly.

"Because..." she put her hands on his cheeks. "You are the sweetest..." she kissed his cheek, "kindest..." she kissed his other cheek, "and not to mention a gorgeous person." And without thinking, she lightly kissed his lips. For a second, they both forgot what was happening, and Ginny mindlessly deepened this kiss. After a couple more seconds, Ginny pulled away, turning a deep shade of red.

"I'm...I-I..." she stuttered. Harry didn't have any brilliant words just then either, so he just got up, the same shade of red as her, and swiftly walked away, not noticing Hermione, who was standing near the portrait hole with tears in her eyes that even shocked her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Students, I have a few announcements to make," Dumbledore stood up at breakfast, making the morning sun gleam across his silver beard. The normal buzz of different conversations stopped, and all eyes feel on the staff table.

"First, I would like to welcome our Gamekeeper and teacher of Care Of Magical Creatures back!" Dumbledore grinned, and as if on cue, the doors to the Great Hall swung open and Hagrid entered with a grin to match Dumbledore's. The Hall erupted into applause, everyone except some of the Slytherins. Hagrid thundered over to the staff table, past the Gryffindor table, where he winked and grinned at Harry, Ron and Hermione, then continued on. Harry was ecstatic.

"Since Hagrid is back with us, Care of Magical Creatures will resume as scheduled," Dumbledore added. Papers were rustling as students pulled out their schedules, and gasps could be heard through the room as they watched 'Care of Magical Creatures' scrawl across their schedule. As for the Gryffindors, they had it with the Slytherins.

"Second, I would like to announce this year's prefects," Dumbledore continued, bringing the students' attention back to him. "This information was not owled to the students because Hagrid was out on business, and forgot to give me the grades for his class last year." At this, Harry saw Hagrid blush deeply, and grinned.

"When I call your name, please come up to the table to receive your badges. First, Hermione Granger." Hermione guessed she would be a prefect, but she was surprised nonetheless as she walked to the front and pinned her badge on.

"Harry Potter" was the next name called. Harry grinned as he stood up and stole a quick glance at Malfoy, who was sneering and muttering something to the table, which burst into quiet laughter. Not caring, Harry went up and proudly accepted the perfectly polished badge. As they took their seats, the prefects for the other houses were announced (not surprisingly, Malfoy was a prefect for Slytherin, along with a girl named Jean DuBois.) Soon, the usual sea of owls encircled the Great Hall, searching for their owners to deliver their burdens to. A thin envelope fell on Harry's lap, with shaky handwriting on the front. Harry quickly ripped it open to find a short note:

Harry ~

Glad to be back! Come by around three for tea!

Hagrid

At least some things haven't changed, Harry thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At three, Harry, Ron and Hermione went down to Hagrid's hut, like old times. They could see an orange glow coming from the window, and realized that a fire must be burning. They rushed forward and banged on his door. Hagrid opened with his face split in a toothy grin, and all three rushed forward and hugged him. He hugged them back, his arms big enough to fit twenty people inside and still have room left over. As soon as they entered, Fang once more attacked Harry and Ron, pinning them to the ground. They laughed as they pushed him off and each scratched him behind the ears before walking past him. Ron and Hermione sat close together, and Harry sat on the huge armchair, well away from them. Hagrid noticed the uncomfortable silence between the inseparable trio.

"We're so glad you're back, Hagrid!" Hermione said, trying to cover up the awkwardness.

"Glad ter be back, Hermione," Hagrid answered warmly. "What 'ave you three been up to? Not getting' into more trouble, I 'ope?" he asked, eyeing them.

"Just the usual," Harry answered, looking at the other two, who seemed to blush together. "Where were you?"

"Sorry. Can't tell you, Harry. Official Hogwarts business. But I can tell you that I've got a great deal of information that will help Hogwarts," he beamed. Being the curious person he was, Harry asked, "Like what?"

"Just...stuff, Harry. Anyway, Dumbledore tells me you saw somethin' happen in here?" Hagrid questioned. Harry blushed.

"Sort of," he replied. "Did Dumbledore tell you everything?"

"Aye, he did. I can't for the life of me figure out who could've been in here, except Lucius..." Hagrid trailed off thoughtfully. The three's attention caught the name "Lucius", who was Draco Malfoy's father.

"Malfoy's father was here?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that," Hagrid muttered to himself.

"Hagrid, what was he doing here?" Ron asked angrily.

Now, listen, you three. Its not what you think, so leave it up ter Dumbledore ter figure it out. Don't go meddlin', understand?" he said in a stern voice. The three quickly nodded, at the same time thinking the total opposite.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry had been thinking about what Lucius had said all day, and decided that he needed a break. An hour before dinner, he took his Invisibility Cloak, along with the Marauder's Map, and started exploring the vast castle called Hogwarts. He knew it would take a lifetime to actually explore every door in the building, but he needed to clear his mind. He went up to the third floor, which wasn't out-of-bounds anymore, and started looking around there. He went along the familiar path that led to Fluffy's old lair. As he swung the door open, he smiled at the string of events that had started in this very room with the giant three-headed dog of Hagrid's.

After about half an hour, Harry decided to go back to the common rooms as he was getting a bit bored and cold. He quickly ran in the direction of the portrait under the Invisibility Cloak and bumped headlong into someone, toppling to the floor. Harry got up and brushed himself off, seeing that the other person was none other than Ginny. He groaned inwardly. Seeing her brought back all the things he had tried to forget in the past half an hour. Ginny looked around for the person that had bumped into her, finding only air. She frowned as she brushed herself off, and Harry slowly removed the Cloak. Her eyes grew wide and she would've uttered an ear-splitting scream if Harry hadn't clamped her mouth shut with his hand.

"Oh, god, Harry! You scared me!" she exclaimed when he removed his hand. He smiled.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to," he replied, rolling the Cloak and Map up and stuffing it in his robe pocket. She smiled back.

"Its all right. Um, about the other night..." she started when he stopped her.

"It's all right, Gin. I was upset, and as a friend, you were making me feel better. It was merely an accident...right?" he asked a little uncertainly, trying to convince himself that this was the fact.

"Uh, right. Accident. Of course," she replied just as uncertainly. He nodded and pushed past her into the common room to get ready for dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"May I please have your attention?" Professor McGonagall demanded as she tapped her goblet with her spoon. The Hall grew quiet as Dumbledore stood.

"Students, I have some very disturbing news."

The students waited with bated breath.

"I am very sorry to inform you all that Hogsmeade has been attacked."

Again, very audible gasps spread through the Great Hall. Hogsmeade? Attacked? By who? When? How? The questions flowed like lava from one person to the next.

"If you will please remain silent," Dumbledore said in a loud yet gentle manner, "I will elaborate." The Hall fell so quiet at once, you could hear a pin drop.

"We do not know who has attacked Hogsmeade exactly, but there is strong suspicion of Death Eater attacks. Individuals from the Ministry of Magic, along with Aurors, are looking into it as we speak. It happened early this morning, at about 4 am. As expected, all Hogsmeade visits will be cancelled until further notice. And..." Dumbledore paused and looked down. Not one person even twitched.

"We have suffered some casualties. Cedric Diggory's brother, Evan Diggory, who graduated from Hogwarts two years ago, was lost in the attacks." There was a minute of complete stillness before anyone even reacted. All of a sudden, several people at the Ravenclaw table started whispering to each other, and all of the tables followed suit. Some people even burst into tears. Harry simply couldn't find his voice. He didn't know whether to cry, leave, or start whispering along with the others. He looked next to him at Hermione, who was shedding a few tears but wiping them away quickly.

"I met him. In Diagon Alley," she said softly, running her hands across her cheeks roughly. "He was in Flourish and Blotts. We talked a little, and he was so nice to me. I fell because I slipped on something in the doorway, and he helped me up and took me to a chair, and he cured the bruise on my hand," she continued. "I can't believe he's gone." Ron put his arms around her and gathered her to him. She leaned into his chest and shed another tear. Harry desperately wished he were Ron at that moment. Instead, he took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked at him and he gave her a smile. She smiled back gratefully, squeezing his hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Malfoy!" Harry called as he was heading to Potions. He saw the blond- haired Slytherin walking about thirty paces ahead of him. Malfoy turned and shot Harry a nasty look. Harry, don't lose your temper. If he gets blacked out, he won't answer your question, Harry thought firmly to himself. Taking a deep breath, he hurried over to Malfoy.

"What, Potter? Make it quick. I can't be seen talking to you," Malfoy snapped.

"Was your father here at Hogwarts?" he asked bluntly, staring at him.

"What?!" Malfoy asked.

"You heard me. Was your father here? Did he come here at all this year?" Harry repeated, growing impatient.

"Why is that any of your business, Potter? Trying to play hero again?" Malfoy retorted, quickening his pace.

"Did he come here or not? I'm just curious," Harry tried one last time.

"That's for me to know and you to find out. Now sod off," Malfoy said and walked off.

"Fuck," Harry muttered. He knew this wouldn't work. He didn't know why he had tried. He thought as he walked toward the dungeons. How was he going to find out if Lucius Malfoy had been at Hogwarts or not? It suddenly came to him: Hagrid.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Harry, we need to talk," came Hermione's voice from behind him. He was waiting for this, but dreading it at the same time. How would he handle it? He would probably just get all nervous and stutter, or lose control. He couldn't let that happen. Not this time.

"What about?" he replied as calmly as he could, his voice still shaking a little.

"About...Ron and me," she answered. Harry took a deep breath and stood up. His cheeks felt flushed from sitting in front of the common room fire for so long. Good. If I blush, she won't notice the difference much, he thought. He studied her for a minute. She was biting the corner of her lip, a sure sign of nervousness.

"Well?" he broke the silence.

"Well, you saw us that night. And...well, Ron asked me to be his girlfriend. And, well, to tell you the completely honest truth, I've kind of liked him like that since this past summer, so, well, I accepted," she said. Another sign that Hermione was nervous: she was repeating the same word over and over again.

"I know. I was there," Harry mumbled, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness envelop him.

"Right. I just wanted to ask you. Why did you seem so upset? Do you...have feelings for me in that way?" she asked. Harry was taken aback. He definitely did NOT expect this.

"No, Hermione!" It broke his heart even more to lie to one of his best friends, but he had to do it. "Of course not!"

"All right. So why were you kissing Ginny the other night?" she asked, tears starting to form in her eyes. Why she was crying, she didn't know. I thought you liked RON, her conscience reminded her. I do. Its just… she trailed off.

"Why not?" he replied simply. She didn't expect him to be so casual about this.

"Why NOT? Harry, you can't just go kissing people like that!" she exclaimed, blinking back the tears quickly.

"What d'you mean, I CAN'T? Since when do you tell me what I CAN and can't do?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Harry, I'm only looking out for you! It's not right to kiss someone out of the blue! And moreover, Ron's SISTER! He's going to turn into a mountain troll if he finds out!" she half-yelled, frustrated. Again, why, she didn't know.

"That's between me and Ron! Since when did you get so nosy? It's NONE of your business!" Harry shot back, regretting the words as soon as he said it. At this, Hermione shrank back a little and the tears returned.

"You're right. It isn't. You win," she said firmly, even through her crying, and left. Harry sighed and dropped onto the couch. This was NOT how it was supposed to go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry Potter, superb Quidditch Player, The Boy Who Lived, and who hated studying any more than necessary, buried himself in books for the next few days. For one, he had to get the fight him and Hermione had had, and those dreadful words he had said to her. For another, he wanted to find some way to ask Hagrid about Lucius Malfoy other than just waltzing up to him and asking. He needed a more subtle approach, a more round-about way.

He hit upon the solution a few days later. He was leafing through a book called The New You: 163 Ways To Change Your Appearance. On page 43, he found exactly what he was looking for: an easier way than Polyjuice Potion.

"Let's see," he muttered to himself, running his hands down the paragraphs quickly. "Infusion of wormwood and pinch of cow spleen," he said, scribbling it down. He also copied the directions down roughly, a plan forming in his mind at the same time.

That day after classes, Harry stealthily followed Malfoy to the Slytherin common room under his Invisibility Cloak. As he approached the door, Malfoy found what Harry had planted just so Malfoy could see it: a present wrapped in golden wrapper. It immediately caught Malfoy's eye, along with the label that read Only for Draco Malfoy's Beautiful Eyes. He saw Malfoy smirk, then send Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson on ahead of him, muttering something to them. Suddenly, the hallway was deserted except for Malfoy (and Harry). Malfoy bent down and grabbed the present in one swift motion.

As he began to open it, Harry crept up behind him, took out his wand and muttered, "Stupefy!" Malfoy dropped the present and started to fall, but Harry caught him. He didn't want any unnecessary noises. He dragged Malfoy over to a nearby door and stuffed his limp body in there, along with his present. He then closed the broom closet, muttered "Pactum" to lock the door, and then ran full speed back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Here I go," he said softly as he raised the steaming vial to his face. He was about to drink the Diiudico Potion, which was much quicker than Polyjuice Potion but had the same basic affect, with an extended time limit: 2 hours and the fact that he had to follow it up with the Changing Spell. He took a deep breath and lowered the vial to his mouth. The potion tasted like old socks mixed with rotten meat. He squeezed his eyes shut as it went down thickly. Then, without hesitation, he pointed his wand at himself and said clearly, "Aspectus Adfectio a Draco Malfoy."

For a second, nothing happened. Then, something started squirming inside his stomach as if fighting to get out, and spread to every part of his body. He couldn't stand as it flowed through his legs. He dropped to the ground, his heads pinning. After a few more seconds, everything became extremely foggy. Harry panicked for a second. Then, as he slowly took his glasses off, he saw everything with perfect clarity.

"Malfoy has 20/20 vision. I'm not surprised," he said to himself as he stood up and placed the glasses in his pocket. As he did, he noticed the Slytherin Emblem on his robe. He sighed, glad the spell had worked. He hurried toward Hagrid's hut and banged on the door. Hagrid opened it, and Harry held his breath.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" he growled. As Harry opened his mouth, he realized he had to speak in an insulting manner as to not make Hagrid suspicious.

"Nothing much, you great big oaf. Just needed to know WHY my father came by this ruin-for-a-school," Harry drawled in Malfoy's voice.

"Yeh mean yer father didn't tell yeh?" Hagrid asked with a confused look on his face.

"If he did, I wouldn't BE here, now would I?" Harry asked, pushing his way into Hagrid's. Hagrid grunted and shut the door behind him.

"Well, it's a bit strange that he didn't tell yeh," Hagrid remarked.

"Oh, get on with it and answer my question: WHY was he here?" Harry asked, growing impatient. Hagrid sighed and sat down on his big armchair.

"Well, I s'pose he's gonna tell yeh eventually, so there's no harm in me tellin' yeh now," Hagrid mused.

"So?" Harry prompted. Hagrid heaved a great sigh and said, "Yer father was here on You-Know-Who's orders."

"He...he was?" Harry asked shakily, then realized he was slipping up. He cleared his throat. "I mean, why the hell would he come here because of Lord Voldemort?" he hastily corrected himself. Hagrid flinched at the name.

"How should I know?" Hagrid shrugged.

"How did you know it was him? I mean, he usually has a hood on," Harry stated.

"Look, Malfoy. All's I know is, yer father came here, an'...wait a minute. How can I trust yer with what I tell yer?" Hagrid narrowed his eyes.

"Because, you clod, he's my father and I have a RIGHT to know," Harry drawled, rolling his eyes. Hagrid watched him closely and then took a deep breath.

"Lucius came here with a robe and hood on. I happened to see him, and I thought he was one of the Aurors. Turns out he wasn't, just took Polyjuice Potion to look like one of 'em. I recognized him because it started to wear off, and I could notice his blond hair underneath the other man's brown. He told me not to tell anyone or else-" he hesitated.

"What?" Harry prompted.

"He said You-Know-Who would kill me," Hagrid said softly. Just as these words were sinking into Harry, there was a soft knock on the door. Hagrid stood up and opened it, and Harry saw a pointed wizard's hat and a long silver beard at the door. He drew a sharp breath in. Dumbledore was here.

"Well, Hagrid, you seemed to have cleaned up quite well," he said as he stepped inside. His eyes fell at once on Harry, who was sitting there with his hands clasped, very un-Draco like. He quickly unclasped them and leaned against Hagrid's mantel casually, as he had seen Malfoy do countless times. He prayed that Dumbledore would fall for it.

"Hello, Draco," Dumbledore said kindly, flashing him a small smile. Harry moved to return it, but instead muttered, "Hello, Professor."

"Hagrid, may I speak to you in private for a moment please?" Dumbledore asked. Hagrid nodded and the two stepped outside for a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity to Harry because he couldn't hear what they were saying. They finally came back in.

"I trust you will get over there as soon as possible to help those poor souls?" Dumbledore verified.

"Yes, sir," Hagrid agreed.

"Good. I will be there shortly, for I have a few loose ends to tie up first," Dumbledore said. Then, he turned to Harry, gave him a small nod and a smile to match the nod, then left. As soon as he was out the door, Hagrid started moving around his small hut, gathering things.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry asked casually, hoping Hagrid would blurt out the situation in his hurry.

"The Dark Mark's been found in Hogsmeade," Hagrid said quickly. "And Nott's been found with the same wand Harry found in here. Now get out, Malfoy. I've gotta go," Hagrid rumbled. Harry immediately exited, much to Hagrid's surprise. Harry noticed.

"Be sure not to scare anyone anymore than they already are! Although, I'm SURE that will happen, considering its YOU," he retorted to cover. It worked.

"Malfoy, if you don't want detention with the Blast-Ended Skrewts, you'll leave," Hagrid said menacingly, shutting the door behind him. Harry rolled his eyes for effect and left quickly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Guess who I'M going to the Ball with?" Neville asked excitedly at breakfast a week after Harry's encounter. Harry sighed. He had heard this countless times already, and Neville wasn't giving up anytime soon.

"Let me guess, Neville. Padma?" Harry asked. Neville nodded fast.

"You bet, Harry! It’s awesome! My first date!" he said and soon after, blushed.

"Its all right, Neville. You have to start somewhere," Ron, who was sitting across from him and next to Harry, said with a small smile. Harry smiled, stifling laughter. Neville with Padma. Dean and Parvati. Angelina and George. Lavender and Fred. Katie and Lee. Susan and Seamus. Ron and Hermione (Harry was pretty sure of this). Seemed that everyone was paired up for the ball coming up the following Saturday. Everyone except Harry, that is. He still had no one to go with.

Lunch came quickly. After going through Care Of Magical Creatures, though, Harry didn't have much of an appetite. They had studied Goober- Toobers, which Harry thought was more than an appropriate name for the...whatever they were. They were long like worms, but gray and jelly- like (you could see through them). They had twenty legs, ten on each side, but also twenty eyes, two starting at the front of its head and then traveling single- file down its back. What were they useful for? No one knew (except for probably Hermione). They were all too busy staring at the nasty things to listen to Hagrid, who cooed at them as if they were puppies as he explained their uses. But to their surprise, it looked like it could EAT a puppy. When its mouth was closed, it looked like it didn't even have one. But when it opened, two rows of jagged yellowish-blue teeth dripping with purple saliva were revealed, snapping for any type of food. Everyone had been unpleasantly revolted.

Defense Against the Dark Arts turned out to be just as much fun as it was in the third year. They worked with Nettleworts as promised by Professor Lupin, who took them down to the Hogwarts cells quite below their actual classroom, where a Nettlewort was hidden in-between two stacks of hay in a corner. Lupin had pulled it out and each student was able to attack it using the spell, "Conglomero Difflo", which made the Nettlewort's two separate forms slide apart from one another, then shrink into nothingness. When Harry had approached it, the top portion turned into a dementor, and to his surprise, so did the bottom. When he asked Lupin why, he explained that it was because that was the only thing Harry was truly scared of. Harry was at least happy that nothing else scared him.

At lunch, all everyone could talk about was the Ball that was taking the place the next evening. Some girls kept leafing through book after book filled with pictures of new dress robes and giggling, some girls were pointing at other boys and giggling, some boys were pointing back, and Neville was still mentioning his date. Not much had changed, including the fact that Harry still didn't have a date.

He felt a soft tap on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see Ginny standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Gin," he greeted, returning the smile.

"Harry, can I speak with you for a moment, please?" she asked somewhat shyly. Harry nodded and stood up. Ron shot him a confused look, and Harry shrugged as Ginny walked off. Harry quickly caught up with her outside the Great Hall.

"Harry, I was wondering if...I mean, if its not awkward for you or anything, if you'd go to the Ball with me," she rushed it all out in one breath. Harry was taken aback. This was Ginny. The girl he had saved from Tom Riddle and his Basilisk in the second year. The girl who had put her elbow in butter the first time she had seen him.

"Um, sure, Ginny," he said somewhat uncertainly. Ginny's smile lit up and with a "Thanks, Harry!" she ran back into the Great Hall. All right. What just happened? Harry asked, rooted to the same spot.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, Professor Lupin woke Harry up especially early. Harry grumbled and turned over in his bed, covering his ears by pushing another pillow down on top of his head.

"Harry, that won't help you," Harry heard Lupin's voice say in his mind.

"Its too early," Harry mumbled.

"Harry, do you want new dress robes or not?" Lupin's voice resounded in his head, more clearly this time. He opened his eyes into his pillow. What is going on? Harry thought.

"Nothing is going on! Sirius told me take you shopping for dress robes for the dance," Lupin said in his head. Harry sat up bolt upright.

"Professor, did you just...read my mind?" Harry asked, shocked. Lupin smiled.

"Something like that. I'm a SoothSayer. I can read minds and serve as a medium for people who want read each other's minds," Lupin explained. "Now, DO you want dress robes or not? Because if you don't, I'd be more than happy to spend all these Galleons on something else," Lupin said, jingling a bag of the big gold coins in front if Harry. Harry quickly got out of bed saying, "There IS no better way to spend those other than on me!" and rushing to the bathroom with a grin.

Harry and Lupin flooed to Diagon Alley, where Harry bought forest-green dress robes that complimented his eyes very nicely in Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Both of them went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and had two 'Merlin's Beard' Sundaes, and just like Merlin's beard, it was long and hard to finish. He tried to find some sort of magic comb that would help settle his hair, but to his luck, he didn't find anything.

"It’s just as well, Harry," Lupin remarked with a small smirk. "You look like your father with that hair. Why would you try to change it?"

"Because it looks EXACTLY like my dad's," Harry grumbled. They walked inside the Leaky Cauldron, still arguing about Harry's impossible hair.

"Hey, Tom," Lupin greeted the bartender as they entered. Tom waved back with a smile. "Hello, Remus! Hiya, Harry!"

"Just flooing back to Hogwarts," Lupin informed as they headed toward the fireplace.

"Oh! The big dance there tonight, right? Got a date, Harry?" Tom asked, winking. Harry blushed and nodded.

"Really? Who is this girl?" Lupin asked, surprised.

"Ginny. Let's GO!" Harry said quickly.

"What was that? I heard something like...Ginny? Weasley?" Lupin asked, even more surprised as he reached for the Floo Powder.

"What's so surprising about that?! She asked me, I said yes!" he exclaimed, reaching for some Powder himself. Lupin regarded him with a smile, then turned back to the fireplace, threw the powder in (making the red flames turn green), stepped in, and shouted, "Lupin's Quarters!" He disappeared, and Harry followed. He tucked his elbows in tightly while still managing to hold onto his glasses and the bag of clothing He landed with a thud in Lupin's office, where he found him brushing soot off his already ragged robes. He did the same and glanced at the clock. It was one in the afternoon.

"It's a shame about Hogsmeade," Lupin remarked.

"Yeah. I still can't believe it. Who do you think did it?" Harry asked. Lupin shrugged.

"Could've been anyone. Personally, I think it was the Death Eaters since the Mark was over the town and Nott was found at the scene," he commented.

"Wait. Nott was found? In Hogsmeade?" Harry asked, making sure he heard right. Lupin nodded. "Without his wand, too," he added. Harry paused for a moment, thinking.

"Harry, I can see the wheels spinning in your brain. Don't worry yourself! Everything's getting sorted out as we speak! Just think about the dance and your date," Lupin reassured. He's right. Just for once. Get away from that subject, Harry said to himself.

"I have to go put these away. I'll see you later, Professor," Harry bid him goodbye as he walked out the door.

"Bye, Harry! Have fun with Ginny tonight!" Lupin called after him, making Harry scowl.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Hang on a second!" Harry yelled, adjusting the sleeves of his robes, and trying one last time to straighten his hair. Then, he opened his door to find Ron in immaculate new robes.

"Ron! When'd you get the new robes?" Harry asked, eyeing him. Ron's robes were a night-sky blue, making his blue eyes stand out brightly.

"They're not COMPLETELY new, but I did change them a bit. Do I look OK?" he asked, nervously tugging at the neck. Harry smiled.

"You look fine, Ron. Any girl would be happy to have you as a date," he replied. Ron beamed. Behind him, Parvati sprinted up the stairs and said, "Guys, your dates said they'd meet you outside the entrance to the Great Hall," and then sped back down. Ron took a deep breath.

"Let's hope this turns out better than it did last year," Ron said. Harry agreed, laughing. The two nervous boys padded down the stairs and quickly walked out the common room towards the Great Hall. Harry's heart thudded in his ears dully. His best friend's heartbeat matched that of his. As they approached the Great Hall, Harry spotted a flash of red and lavender. They turned the corner and both of them stopped in shock.

Ginny looked...Harry could find no other word than 'different'. Her hair was slightly wavy, halfway up and with falling ringlets around her face. Her robes were a pale sky blue, with lace sleeves that you could see through to her creamy skin. Hermione donned lavender robes that flowed out at the sleeves and just a little as it neared the floor. Her hair was straight and all the way up in a high but simple ponytail.

The boys slowly found their feet and neared, smiling as they did so. Harry took Ginny's arm in his and they walked straight into the Hall.

"I'm so used to these dances and lavish parties. My parents throw them all the time," Malfoy was saying as they entered. Harry turned around and saw him walking gracefully with none other than last year's date, Pansy Parkinson, hooked on his arm. His younger version, Harry saw, was right behind the older and had a small girl with brown hair and quite a lot of makeup on his arm, wearing shocking pink robes. Both the Malfoys grinned identically as they entered behind Harry. Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to the front. He was going to have fun tonight, and he was not going to let Malfoy ruin his good time.

The Great Hall looked as grand as the Yule Ball had. It had streamers that kept changing colors across the sides, with dozens of clustered floating candles in-between whose flames also changed colors. The ceiling was bewitched to look like a summer night's sky, clear and sparkling with a million stars. The floor emitted sparks of silver, green, red, gold, blue and yellow.

"Its beautiful," Ginny commented as she walked through. Harry looked at her and noticed that she was, too. They found a small round table near the staff table with a lone floating candle in the middle, and sat, still looking around them. Harry looked up to see Dumbledore in mild orange robes that had stripes running across them, a matching hat, and a huge grin. Next to him was Professor McGonagall in white robes and a matching hat with what looked like a bell on top of it. Next to her was Professor Vector, the Arithmancy teacher, Professor Trelawney in dingy caramel robes, Professor Flitwick in gold robes, and Hagrid in a huge green suit.

"Harry, look at Hagrid," Ginny said across the table, her voice spelling laughter. "Looks like he tried to comb his hair again!" Harry did notice, for there was tiny splinters in his beard and his hair, which was oddly bunched to both sides.

"Ginny, look who's next to him!" Harry exclaimed, figuring out why he had gone this far.

"Oh my god! Madame Maxime is here!" she exclaimed. "Hagrid invited her to come here all the way from France, I suppose." Harry noticed them holding hands on the table and laughing. Guess they made up, Harry thought. He turned and saw Ron and Hermione sit a few tables away from him. Harry sighed. He had already given up.

"Want to dance, Harry?" Ginny was suddenly next to him. Harry looked up and nodded, smiling. They went out to the middle of the dance floor. Ginny draped her arms around his neck and Harry placed them on her waist. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. A slow song by someone named the Boo Brothers came on, and he felt Ginny relax against him. He tried to relax as well. She looked up into his eyes and he looked straight back.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?" she asked softly.

"About how I want this night to be perfect," he answered.

"It already is," she said and kissed him quickly on the lips. She pulled back almost immediately, and looked down, blushing. He brought her face up to look at him.

"Gin, you don't have to blush every time you kiss me. I mean, technically, we're on a date. You're supposed to do that," he reminded her. She laughed.

"You're right, Harry. I'm sorry," she apologized.

The night went by too fast for Harry's liking. Last year, it had seemed to drag on forever. But this year, when he was actually having fun, laughing, dancing, and talking to Ginny, it seemed to speed by. A few minutes before the dance officially ended, Ginny reached up and whispered in his ear, "Let's go outside before we get trampled on." She took his hand and led him outside with her, where there was no one but them. She laced her fingers through his, and they started walking in silence. Harry heard the distinct sound of lots of feet rushing to get to where they were going, but continued walking. After a few minutes, he turned to her and said, "Well, it’s been a few minutes. It should be safe to go in now."

"What? You don't WANT to spend time with me?" she asked, pouting.

"No! I-I..." Harry stuttered. He looked at her and saw her laughing.

"Not funny, Gin. I thought I really upset you there for a second," he replied, smiling.

"What would you have done if I really had?" she asked with a straight face.

"Well," he mused, "first, after stuttering for a year, I would've apologized thoroughly. Then, I would've given you a hug," he said and pulled her in a big hug, "like this, and then..." he trailed off as she looked up into his eyes again. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, he lowered his lips to hers. Not to his surprise, she met him halfway.

Meanwhile, back at the dance, Malfoy was getting a kick out of taunting Ron again.

"Really, Weasley. What spell did you use to turn the robes of the 16th century to look even remotely like that?" he asked, cracking up.

"A different spell than the one I'll use to permanently disfigure you," Ron threatened.

"And HOW on Earth," Malfoy continued, "did you manage to snag Mudblood Granger as your date?" he asked, cracking up even more.

"Oh come on, Draco! Mudblood, Weasley. They're synonymous!" the little Malfoy exclaimed, and this time, both of them cracked up at the same time.

"I'm giving you until the count of three, Malfoy. I swear, I'll use you," Ron pointed at the younger, "to beat him up."

"Ron, let's go! Everyone's leaving!" Hermione tugged on Ron's hand for a few seconds before he grudgingly budged and followed her out to the common room and up the stairs to the boys' dorms. She sat Ron, who was still fuming, down on his bed, and sat next to him.

"He always finds a way to ruin my night!" Ron burst out. "And now the dance is over, and..."

"But the night's not over yet," Hermione said softly in his ear. Then, she leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "Feel better?" she whispered.

"Not quite. Maybe one more will do the trick," Ron replied, grinning. She laughed and kissed him again, more deeply than the first time. He responded immediately. After a few seconds, she lay back on his soft pillows and he followed on top. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and not breaking the kiss, he pulled his robes off so that he was only wearing a full-sleeved T- shirt and khakis underneath.

"Hermione," Ron said, breathless, but couldn't continue because she grinned and pulled him down for another kiss. He was happy to oblige. Ron unclasped the small pin that held her robes together, and she was only wearing a tank top and shorts underneath. She pulled his shirt over his head, and ran her hands down his well-maintained body. Ron smiled against her lips, enjoying spending every moment with Hermione and all thoughts of Malfoy flying out of his head.

"Ginny, we can't do this," Harry quickly pulled away a few seconds after their lips had touched. She frowned.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked.

"I just...can't do this," he repeated, backing up significantly.

"Why?" she asked, hurt edging her voice. Why again? he thought, running his hand through his hair. WHY? Because you love Hermione, you dolt! his brain exclaimed. Right. I love...I LOVE her?! he suddenly jolted fully awake. Then, a small smile crossed his lips. I love Hermione, he realized. He quickly moved to hide his smile, in case Ginny happened to see it. Things would go sharply downhill if she did.

"Because. Because I don't like you in that way," he blurted. He wished he could've sugarcoated the words a little more. Ginny's face fell.

"Oh," she said softly, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Gin. You said you wanted this night to be perfect. And, well, I thought I was over the girl I like, but I guess I'm not," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. She looked up.

"That's all right, Harry," she simply said. She turned around and started walking toward the school when Harry put out his arm to stop her.

"What?" she asked, turning around.

"You didn't say good night." He managed a small smile. She laughed and walked back to him.

"Good night, Harry. I had a great time tonight," she stated. He smiled.

"Me too," he replied. "Well, except for a few minutes ago." She laughed again.

"I'm glad," she said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, and then ran back towards the castle. After she had disappeared, Harry heaved a sigh and made his way toward the glowing lights of Hogwarts. Up the stairs he went, being careful to skip the trick step, and made his way to Gryffindor Tower.

"Growling Griffin," he said in-between a yawn. The Fat Lady yawned herself and said sleepily, "What?" Harry repeated the password.

"Where!?" she shrieked, suddenly completely awake and looking around her in all direction.

"No, that’s the password," he said, starting to get annoyed. "There’s no real griffin." After a sigh, she let him in. Harry ran across the room and up the stairs. He practically fell into the dorms and dragged himself to bed. He noticed that Ron was sleeping soundly, as were Seamus and Dean. Suddenly, Harry noticed an extra arm in Ron's bed. Now, he would have dismissed it as one of Ron's own, but the trouble with that theory was that Ron was sleeping on his side, and Harry could quite plainly see the elbow of his other arm sticking out behind him. Curious as always, he silently padded across the room to Ron's bed and pulled the corner of his thick red comforter down to see someone he never thought he'd see there in a million years.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday came too quickly, and the familiar voice of Neville as he repeated "I got kissed!" over and over again came along with it.

"Neville, just stop already! We know!" Lee cried exasperatedly.

"Harry, what's the fifth ingredient needed for the Eutharsos Potion?" Ron asked tiredly, staring at the parchment in front of him blankly.

"Powdered Finica leaves, I think," Harry replied automatically. He had taken to Ron asking him questions on their homework the morning it was due. This was all routine. Harry patiently waited for the next question.

"And what do you need to add to liver of frog to get the Discerendium Potion?" he asked.

"Pinch of cow spleen." He furtively glanced at Hermione, who was sitting across from Ron, flipping through her notes before classes started. He had been utterly and completely shocked to find her in the boys' dorms, let alone Ron's bed that night. And the fact that he had no shirt on and she only had a tank top and shorts on didn't comfort him any. The bell shrilly rang across Harry's clouded thoughts, jolting him back to reality.

"Time for Defense Against The Dark Arts," Seamus said out loud with a sigh as he followed the Gryffindors out to the familiar classroom. Harry, who was a few steps behind Seamus, felt someone bump into him from behind, almost knocking him down. He turned swiftly to see the two Malfoys sneering identically.

"For heaven's sake, watch where you're going, Potter! People who deserve to be here are trying to WALK!" the older snapped as he shuffled past, sniggering. A few steps in front of him, Harry could see that they had bumped into Hermione.

"Oh, great!" the small one piped nastily.

"Now I have to go wash off the Mudblood filth that's all over my clean robes"! The older added. Hermione turned sharply. This was not her day, and she frankly didn't give a damn if she was sent to Azkaban. She was going to KILL Malfoy. She stared at him for a moment, hoping to lure him into a false sense of security. It worked. As he sneered classically, she withdrew her wand quickly and cried, "Expelliarmus!" Malfoy went flying backwards and hit his head, although not hard, on a pillar. He winced as he rubbed the back of his head, standing up with a death glare. The little one quickly ran to his side, shooting her an identical glare. She calmly said, "Fuck off, Malfoy" and continued onto class, leaving a gaping Draco Malfoy standing there.

"Good day, class! Today, we will be studying Sawmiums!" Lupin exclaimed as the students wearily walked in and sat down. He looked around the classroom at the drooping, tired faces and the heads ready to drop onto the desk as soon as he started talking, and then he came upon Harry's face, which was a mix of sorrow and fatigue. Something to do with Ginny? he thought. But then, he had seen Ginny only a few minutes earlier when she had come to talk to him about her essay, and she had shown no signs of it. Over the years, adding to his acute werewolf abilities, he had also developed a knack for reading people's feelings beyond what they were displaying. And he was sure he had seen no sorrow in Ginny, only a bit of sadness.

"Now. Sawmiums are tiny little devils, and are quite dangerous. So watch out if you ever come across one," he warned. Then, he went to the corner of the room and pulled an old quilt off something big and rectangular. It was actually a big glass cage, within which lay a cross between a metal tool and a small rabbit. It was gray and furry, but had the nose that most closely resembled a power saw. It was long and filled with razor-sharp fangs on the bottom. And as it raised its tiny hands to the glass, it seemed to have suction-cups on its palms.

"They can be tricky, but the real trick is to outsmart them," Lupin explained to the quiet class. "They don't attack you. They shoot riddles at you that you solve. If you solve all of their clues, you will beat them. But be careful. Their riddles are harder than Snape's Potions class!" There was scattered laughter to this. "Now. Let's experience their riddles for ourselves, shall we?" he offered.

"Mr. Longbottom!" Neville stared up, his eyes wide with panic, as usual. "Step up, please," Lupin kindly said, standing by the cage. Neville stood on shaky legs and slowly made his way over to the tank, his wand out the whole time. As soon as he approached it, the Sawmium opened its mouth to reveal a rather blue and spiky tongue as it spoke in a raspy voice:

With wings of gold,

I'll fly High, high up into the sky.

I roar with fierce might

And people shrink from me at the sight."

"Well, Neville?" Lupin gently prompted. Neville just stared at the thing in the tank, apparently thinking hard. Finally, he said nervously, "I...I don't know. A lion?" Suddenly, the sawmium growled and slowly retreated, and as the class watched, flew forward with full force and began sawing at the glass. Neville let out a small yelp of horror. It was amazing how fast it could saw. It was halfway done already. Lupin leapt forward and shouted, "Dispando Aliunde!"

The thing stopped in mid-saw, frozen. Then, it slowly began to stretch apart, its arms, legs, and head going in opposite directions. Even its tongue began to stretch outwards. After what seemed like a minute, Lupin said, "Finite Incantatem!" and it returned back to normal and fell to the floor.

"Maybe you'd want to write that down?" Lupin asked, amused at the dumbstruck class behind him.

After a very interesting class (during which Ron wrote down some revenge plans involving Sawmiums), Lupin called out, "Harry! May I please see you?" while the rest shuffled out. Harry gathered his books and approached Lupin at his desk. When everyone else was gone, Lupin asked, "What's wrong?"

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked slowly.

"Well, you look like the you got about 10 minutes of sleep. Did something happen at the Ball?" he asked, looking directly at Harry, who shuffled his feet.

"Its not so much AT the Ball as it is AFTER the Ball." And then all the words, the pent-up feelings, the battle with his conscience, all came pouring out of him while Lupin sat and listened patiently.

"So that's when I realized that I. Love. Hermione," he finished. Lupin smiled at him.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Welcome to a real relationship, Harry," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked. This wasn't helping his confusion any.

"Harry, a relationship isn't just about cuddling and kissing and holding hands, although that's the better part of it. There are also a lot of challenges, confrontations and vindication. You have to go through that to prove to each other, and more importantly yourselves, that you two are meant to be together. That's how your mother and father ended up together. That's how every couple ends up together," Lupin explained, still smiling. Harry smiled back.

"Now, better get a move on. Don't want to make Professor Trelawney mad and start chucking crystal balls at you," he added. Harry laughed.

"What guarantee do I have that she won't do that anyway?" he asked as he got up and took the note from Lupin.

"Thanks, Professor," Harry said as he left, feeling as if a weight had been removed off his shoulders.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Potter!" the familiar voice, dripping with annoyance, cut through Harry's thoughts like a knife.

"Huh?" Harry's head snapped up from the mortar and pestle. He looked down at his finely powdered crab-bugs, and realized that he had gone way past "finely." Across the room, Malfoy snickered. Snape shot him a look that silenced him immediately, and then made his way towards Harry briskly. Harry slowly forced his hands to stop grinding as he looked at Snape. He wasn't going to let Snape intimidate him.

"Potter, when in my class, I expect your already miniscule brain to be here as well!" Snape remarked, his face contorted into the special 'I- loathe-you' expression he saved just for Harry. Harry's face remained blank. Malfoy and a few others snickered behind him again.

"For your lack of attention, forty points from Gryffindor!" he added with a small smirk, and then strode back to his desk. The class had grown quiet.

"What are you all waiting for!?" he barked. The whole class jumped. "Get to work! I will be testing your potions in five minutes!"

After class (during the course of which Snape had taken ten points from Dean for his potion turning purple with white dots instead of a blue as it should have been, five from Hermione for 'acting like a know-it-all', and five from Ron for defending her, for a grand total of sixty points), all Harry wanted to do was take a hot shower, and then collapse on his bed and sleep for weeks.

He left the class as quickly as possible to avoid any more confrontations with Snape, his greasy hair, and his undying hatred towards him. As he was walking towards Gryffindor Tower, he saw Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall coming in the opposite direction, McGonagall whispering very fast in Dumbledore's ear while he just nodded. When they passed Harry, Dumbledore gave him a wide smile, while McGonagall gave him a curt nod. Harry smiled and nodded back, and as he was passing by them, he distinctly heard "Death Eaters", "Dark Mark", and "problem". Being the curious boy he is, he waited until they had walked a safe distance, turned around, and stealthily followed them. He walked just close enough so he could hear most of the conversation, but not close enough to be caught.

"I don't know what's going to happen, Albus," she was saying to him. "I mean, where did the Mark all of a sudden pop up from? It's been out of sight for a while now! That Nott. I always knew he was trouble. I was the one to always give him detention. It got to the point where every time someone said a student had caused trouble, my mind automatically swerved to Nott."

"Its all right, Minerva," Dumbledore replied. "Fudge is looking into it, and I trust him to do a thorough job."

"Yes, but Albus, this was in HOGSMEADE. That's practically next door! What if it gets closer? And Harry almost passed out again on the train coming here, all because Fudge was so careless as to send a Dementor among the students!" she exclaimed.

"Fudge is just doing what he thinks is best. Let him do his job, then we can do ours," Dumbledore answered kindly. Harry followed this conversation to just outside Professor Dumbledore's office, whereupon he hid in one of the nooks nearby (which he found was impossibly small).

"Sugar Quill," McGonagall said. Then, turning to Dumbledore, "I see you're on good relations with Fudge again."

"Not good relations, I would say. We're partners in the same business," he answered simply.

"All I know is, no one except you and me know that the 'Hagrid' that Potter found in the hut was really Connor Davies. On top of that, Nott and Lucius were HERE at Hogwarts. We don't know when or why... I hope no one else finds out because of some silly mistake." Then, Harry heard the stone gargoyle grind and quick footsteps, which stopped abruptly.

Harry's brain worked quickly as he emerged from the nook and proceeded to walk hastily to the Gryffindor common room. Connor Davies...that name sounded familiar somehow...he stopped suddenly and gasped. Roger Davies' FATHER was Connor Davies! Roger "Could Be a future Death Eater" Davies. As for Nott and Lucius here at Hogwarts, Harry wondered, what if...what if Nott and Lucius had killed Connor? And why?

All Harry knew is, if they had been trying to come after him on Voldemort's orders, they were dangerously close.

Harry Potter was called "The Boy Who Lived" for a reason. For when he was merely one year old, the Dark Lord Voldemort had come searching for Harry's parents, Lily Evans and James Potter, ordering for their only child to beome a follower of him when he grew up. His parents had thoroughly refused. James had blocked Voldemort's way to Lily and the baby. As a result, his life was gone from his body in a millisecond and a flash of green light. Voldemort got through, only to find Lily shielding baby Harry. He'd told her cruelly to step aside, and when she had refused, her life was gone just like her husband's. Only Harry was left, locked in a staring contest with Voldemort. As Voldemort raised his wand to perform the deadly spell, it had somehow backfired and Voldemort was reduced to something less than a shadow.

Everyone knew this story. Even Harry, who's memory had been completely hazy of this until he was eleven. As the years passed, he learned more and more about this tragic event. He decided that after all that he had faced in the past four years, he could hold his own against Voldemort for a little while. Of course he'd need help, but he wasn't entirely depedent. Not since first year.

So even if Voldemort WAS closer to Harry than anyone thought, Harry wasn't as worried about that as he once was. He knew he had protection always. He was glad he had learned all that he had over the past four years. No, he had a new worry: his relationship with one of his best friends, Hermione Granger.

They still hadn't talked about that night way back when. The night when he had found her and Ron snogging in the common room. Actually, that had happened twice, and they hadn't talked at all about either time. Harry was anxious about when this talk would come and how it would go. They also still had to resolve that nasty fight concerning Ron. Harry just didn't know how to approach the subject.

Christmas Holidays were approaching fast. Halloween had passed by too quickly. Harry had been so immersed in his schoolwork, Quidditch, and keeping his mind OFF his own personal life that he had barely noticed it, and he was a bit disappointed. His past Halloweens had been so much fun, even though extremely dangerous. Harry sighed to himself as he ran his finger down the thick dictionary before him, looking up "Alluminate." When did I become a bookworm like Hermione? he thought to himself absently as he scrolled down the list of words in this unbelievably huge book. At the thought of her name, he groaned silently and put his head down on the desk. He had JUST, after half an hour, managed to push her out of his mind for a bloody five minutes, before she came tumbling in again. He looked up and saw Madame Pince, the librarian. She regarded him with a curious look, then said briskly, "Library's closing, Mr. Potter. Please go back to your dorm." Harry nodded, quickly scribbled the definition down, and rushed out of the library, stuffing his things in his bag as he went.

He saw the last person he wanted to see walking down the corridor towards him with his signature smirk in place.

"What are doing about so late at night, Potter? Going somewhere secret? To shag Granger in a broom closet, perhaps?"

"Malfoy, if you value your life, you'll back off," Harry growled as he sidestepped the blond Slytherin and continued walking.

"Or perhaps that Weasley slut?" the younger Malfoy emerged now, with a sneer. Harry rolled his eyes. Was this kid a marionette operated by Malfoy?

"What?" Harry snapped, trying to get past the small but fast boy.

"Oh, you're right. She's MUCH more MY type," he drawled. "So who IS your type? Peeves, maybe?" he snickered. Before he could answer, the older cut in, "Potter, you look like death! Why would even Peeves want to shag you? Even ghosts have dignity!" The youth added, "You missed Halloween, Potter! You would've been good! That mask is hideous!" At that, they both cracked up laughing. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He already had too much going on. He did NOT need this right now.

"Oh, you like it? I thought you would. It rather looks like you. And since you both enjoy looking in mirrors so much, I thought it would fit best," Harry retorted and stalked off, leaving two fuming Malfoys.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The snow fell in small dots. They looked rather like the tiny balls of cotton Muggles used. They made everything around look a pure shade of white. Winter Break had started as of yesterday at three o' clock, right after classes. The decoration of the Great Hall was already underway, students were preparing to go home, and others were just milling about. Ron was going back to The Burrow for Break tomorrow, so he and Harry were engaged in a heated game of Wizard's Chess. So far, there had been a lot of casualties, but neither was winning, unfortunately. Hermione's nose was buried in a book as usual, except her location had changed from the library to in front of the cozy common room fire.

"Damn it!" Ron cried as Harry took his bishop with his own bishop. The bishop stuck its tongue out at its opponent, who glared at Ron and marched off the board, grumbling to himself. Ron studied the board for a moment, then cut Harry's knight's head off with his rook. Harry winced. That was so obvious! But he was leading, so he shrugged it off and studied the board for a couple of minutes. Hermione had been studying them both over her book. Their exclaims every little while was annoying her very much.

"See!? Now you CAN'T do that!" Ron yelled, pointing at Harry.

"Yes, I can! The rook was here, and I moved it here, thereby killing your knight! Not my fault you weren't paying attention!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and returned to her book.

Kendall Kettleworth quickly dropped onto all fours, only to see a great shadow emerging before him. He looked up…

"HA! Ron, you clod! Your attention span of a rodent just cost you your queen!"

"Damn it!" Hermione lowered her book for the umpteenth time. She glanced at the board, annoyed to the maximum. Granted, she didn't know that much about chess, but she had seen Ron and Harry, Ron and Dean, Harry and Seamus, play it repeatedly over the years. She rolled her eyes. In a few moves, the whole game could be over and, even better, no more interruptions. She got up from her position on the couch and kneeled in front of the board. As Harry and Ron looked up at her in surprise, she quickly took Harry's knight with Ron's rook, took Ron's bishop with Harry's queen, moved the queen up a few paces, glanced at Harry, then Ron, and said calmly, "Checkmate, Ron. Sorry. You lose. Now that the game's over, maybe you two will let me read my story in peace," and briskly returned to her spot on the couch and raised the book to her eyes. Before it covered her vision, she could see Ron muttering and staring at the board, and Harry's dazzling green eyes staring at her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day dawned bright and snowy, the day of Ron's departure. Harry woke up by Ron shaking him awake roughly ("Come ON, Harry! Stop being such a lazy prat!"). After he had showered and dressed, they went downstairs to find Hermione in the room talking to Jessie, a Fourth Year, who beamed at Harry and batted her eyelashes. Harry ignored this as best as he could and instead gave her a small smile. He had learned recently that Jessie had a colossal crush on him, as she had been batting her eyelashes quite a lot lately and mentioning his name everywhere. He sneaked a glance at Hermione, who he guessed had noticed Jessie, because she had an annoyed frown on her face. His eyes lingered for a moment on her angelic face before moving further down. She was wearing a plaid pleated skirt that stopped about mid-thigh, showing her long graceful legs. On top, she was wearing a baby blue turtleneck sweater. She had washed her hair, he could tell. It was glistening from the flames that burned contentedly in the fireplace.

"Morning," Ron greeted the other two as he wandered over to Hermione and placed a light kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, Harry could note that she looked slightly uncomfortable. They went to breakfast and Ron and Harry chatted about Quidditch (they wanted to get as much in as possible before he left), while Lavender's bowl had to be replaced several times since they kept filling up with drool from her staring at Harry. After breakfast, Ron suggested, "Hey! Who wants to have a snowball fight?"

"Snowball fight, Ron? Don't you have to leave?" Hermione asked.

"Not until two," he answered, grinning. She grinned back slightly. They all rushed to their dorms to get the coats and gloves. Once outside, where there was a pleasant but crisp wintry breeze blowing about gently. The snow was still falling, and Harry observed as the small drops settled themselves in Hermione's bushy hair, adorning it quite beautifully. She noticed him staring. In fact, she had felt his eyes boring into her. She looked up at him and grinned, and when he grinned back, she felt a funny twinge in her stomach. She pondered for a second as to what it was, but shrugged it off as Jessie pulled her towards a large pile of snow that had collected toward the middle of the field. Hermione stumbled but followed Lavender as fast as she could, laughing. Yes. I'm going to have FUN today. No stress. Just FUN, she determinedly reminded herself as she reached the middle, where she and Lavender were facing Harry and Ron on the other side of the mound.

Hermione sighed. This was going to be a messy fight. Before she could even finish the thought, a snowball whirled past her ear as fast as a Bludger, narrowly missing her. She looked around to see Harry grinning devilishly. She smirked back and proceeded to just walk around, examining her surroundings. After a few minutes, Harry decided she wasn't going to retaliate, and bent down to gather another snowball. Hermione chose her moment carefully and gathered a sloppy snowball in one hand, heaving it at Harry's back. Unfortunately, it hit his butt, making him shoot up straight and turn around to see her, laughing uncontrollably. Harry dropped the snowball and paused for a second, then ran at her.

Hermione squealed and tried to run away faster, but the amount of snow was too much. How's Harry managing to run so fast? she wondered. She cast a quick glance behind her and saw that he was running along the outskirts of the forest, where the snow was a minimum. She struggled to get out of the knee-deep snow, but not quickly enough. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and lift her up into the air a couple of feet. She screamed.

"Put me down this instant, Harry Potter!" she instructed through a laugh. He just laughed and twirled her around, then, with an "If you insist", dropped her on the snow. Fortunately, the snow was soft. She lifted her head out of the cold snow and saw him laugh, his green eyes sparkling, then offer a hand to help her up. She took his hand, but as he started to lift up, she yanked him down so he fell facedown in the snow.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed, turning around so was laying on his back, propped up on his elbows. She laughed and said, "Serves you right!" She sat up next to him and looked down at him. Wow. He's changed a lot more than I thought, she said to herself. His cheekbones were defined, and even though his hair was as messy as it had ever been, it had a certain...radiance about it. Eyes travelling further down, she noticed that his coat was open, revealing a dark blue shirt which, since he was in the position he was now, showed all of his stomach muscles, which were quite impressive, she had to admit. He watched her, fully aware that she was examining him, and returning the favor.

"Hey, you guys! Where are you?" Ron's voice rang out. They snapped out of their temporary daze and looked up in time to see Ron and Lavender appear above them, their faces equally red and identical smiles spread across their faces. What just happened? Harry asked himself. He sighed, decided it was his imagination, and stood up. Hermione followed and brushed herself off quickly.

"Harry thought it would be funny if he dumped me in the snow like a sack of potatoes," she mumbled, smiling nervously, thoughts of the previous minutes swirling around in her head. Ron beamed back at her.

"I have to go. It’s almost two," Ron said, glancing at his watch. Hermione walked over to his side and kissed him on the cheek. He grew redder than he had been, but didn't say anything. He simply enveloped Hermione in a huge hug, then threw his arm around her shoulder casually as they walked back to the castle.

Following, Jessie grinned and linked her arm through Harry's. He glanced down and smiled, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm going to miss you, mate," Ron turned to Harry and slapped him on the back once they were back in the castle.

"Its only for a week, Ron," Harry laughed, slapping him back. They grinned at each other and Ron said, "Merry Christmas." Harry returned it, and then Ron turned to Hermione. He smiled down at her, then lowered his head and kissed her deeply. She seemed to respond awkwardly, Harry saw, and looked a bit...glad? when he pulled back. She smoothed the front of her skirt unnecessarily and waved to Ron, who, as the green flames flared up, was gone.

Harry, Hermione and Jessie walked back slowly to Gryffindor Tower to notice that it was positively deserted. Everyone's gone home for Christmas? Harry thought disbelievingly. And left me and Hermione here!?!?!? followed. Well, ol' chap, at least Jessie's still here, he said to himself, but couldn't decide whether this was good or bad.

"So sorry, but I've got to go. My brother's flooing to Dumbledore's office to pick me up. Happy Christmas!" Jessie announced, and with a wave, she was gone. Tough luck, that was his next thought. He turned and faced Hermione, who was staring around awkwardly.

"Well, Harry, looks like we're the only ones who're left," she commented, strolling over to the couch. He nodded. He was happy, only because he would get to see Hermione, the girl he loved, without much interruption. He was angry, only because all his other friends had deserted him, and now he had nothing to occupy his mind except Hermione, Hermione, Hermione. In that order.
The silence was so thick, you could hear a pin drop. The only faint sound came from Hermione's scratching quill from where she was doing her Transfiguration notes, on top of the center table in the Gryffindor common room. Harry was rereading "Flying With The Cannons", but he had stopped a while ago to admire Hermione, as he had been doing lately. Different thoughts were overwhelming him, and he suddenly realized that he understood why Dumbledore had a Pensieve. He also thought he could really use one right now.

"What, Harry?" she asked, looking up from her notes with a small smile on her face. She knew he had been studying her. She hadn't completely gotten used to it, but she knew. She had been doing the same thing, only more subtly. He blinked, then said, "Oh. Nothing," with a deep breath. She looked at him for a couple more seconds, then turned back to her notes.

Oh, god, he groaned inwardly. Even when he breathed, he smelled her. Her scent of rose petals wafted over to where he was sitting, on the armchair closest to the fire. Her scent was intoxicating. His head swam even more. He decided he had to get out of here, even if just for a minute.

"I'm going outside to get a breath of fresh air," he announced, putting his book down. She looked up and nodded. He turned and left the room. He went to the entrance of Hogwarts, the four steps covered in snow, and stepped onto them in the frigid weather. Even though the quickly setting sun shone brightly, the snow still fell, making everything colder. He remembered their snowball fight the previous day, making him smile. He glanced at his watch, which read 8:30. He had just gotten out of dinner, where Dumbledore had made them all sing Christmas Carols. Watching Snape grumble "Deck The Halls" was not pretty, and neither was him in a Santa hat. Harry inhaled deeply, and stepped off the last step onto the snow.

"OW!" he exclaimed, clutching his left upper arm. He looked to where he had scratched himself and saw a sharp icicle jutting out from the pillar.

"Shit," he muttered to himself. He raised his hand from where it had got him, and it was covered in a long thin streak of blood. He walked quickly to the Infirmary, holding his right hand over his left arm. He burst in (with a look of strong disapproval from Madam Pomfrey), and sat down on a bed quickly. She bustled over to him.

"Why the rush, Potter?" she asked briskly. He removed his hand and showed her the deep cut on his arm. She inhaled somewhat sharply, but only for a second before she bustled about again. She cleansed the wound with a purple liquid that stung, then put a paste on it that felt like cement. Then, she gave him a small vial of a chunky white liquid.

"Just drink it," she instructed impatiently when he looked at it with a look of disgust. He forced it down in one gulp, then handed the vial back to her. He lowered the arm of his shirt over the wound when she said, "Go on. It won't hurt the paste any", and she took her wand out and muttered, "Detergeo", which made the blood stain on his shirt disappear. He thanked her and headed for the common room.

"Have a nice breath of air?" she asked as he stepped through the portrait hole. He smiled back and said, "Could've been better." She got up and sat across from him on the floor in front of the fire.

"Hermione, we need to talk about something," he started, thinking that this was as good a time as any.

"What?" she asked. He could see her clearly, biting her bottom lip as she often did when she was nervous.

"About...about that fight we had the other day," he replied. "Look. I'm sorry," he plundered on before she could stop him. "I had no right to say that. Ron's your friend too, and you were just looking out for him as well. I shouldn't have said that. What was I thinking? Well, I was thinking..."

During his 'explanation', Hermione studied him very closely. His eyes were pleading, which broke her heart. She had never intended to be mad at him in the first place. She couldn't. She had tried, sure, but never succeeded. Her mind had always turned to the weird fluttery feelings she got whenever she was around him.

"And Ron's my best friend, and I had so much going on..." All of a sudden, the urge to kiss him came over her. Whoa. Where did that come from, Granger? she asked herself, surprised. Then, she realized, she had wanted to do it for quite some time. She smiled to herself and decided that she needed to be braver. If she wanted to kiss him, then by GOD, she would kiss him. And it was a free country! But what if it gets really awkward? Or if he doesn't like you like that? What if... her brain rattled off, but she tuned it out, smiled, and silenced Harry with a deep kiss.

Harry was taken aback. Hermione was kissing him. Hermione was kissing him! A million thoughts were racing through his brain, adding to the million already there, but they were all pushed out as he relaxed into the kiss and felt her smile against his mouth. Her hands moved from on his cheeks down his arms, where it hit his wound, causing him to wince.

"What's wrong?" she asked, immediately pulling back, concern flooding her whole face. He smiled a bit and told her what had happened.

"Oh, you poor thing," she said. "Can I see it?"

He hesitated, then reluctantly started to roll up his sleeves.

"I know a quicker way," she said, and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He stared into her eyes the whole time, and they seemed to say that she wanted this as much as he did. Of course, he wasn't an expert. She carefully slipped the shirt off his broad shoulders.

Wow. Quidditch has served him well, she thought with a smile as she surveyed him. He had strong chest and abs in addition to his broad shoulders. He definitely wasn't the scrawny little boy she had met in first year. Even though I had found him adorable then, too, she admitted as she lowered her mouth to his. His hands reached up and entwined in her hair. Then, she slowly pulled away, both of them equally breathless. There had been a...shock wave pass through one to the other. She looked at his arm, and even though the paste was gone, it was still a little raw. She bent down and gently kissed it, making him shiver.

"Harry..." she whispered, looking directly into his eyes.

"Hermione..." he whispered back, before she captured his mouth with hers.

Suddenly, Ron popped in.

Into Hermione's mind, that is. Followed by the screaming thought, What the hell are you doing!?!?! Her eyes shot open, and she quickly pulled away, as flushed as the fire. Harry didn't say anything, just reached for his shirt with the same look as Hermione. He quickly pulled it on and buttoned it, then sat in silence. Neither said anything at all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Surprise!" came a voice from the portrait hole. Both their heads shot up to see Susan Bones in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. Harry managed a weak smile as he stood up and straightened up. Hermione followed, blushing even more.

"Hey, Susan," Harry mumbled.

"What's wrong, you two?" she asked, her grin turning into a concerned frown.

"Oh, nothing. How come you're not home for Christmas?" Hermione asked quickly, desperate to divert Susan.

"My parents went on a cruise. Third honeymoon in a year," she sighed as she entered and flopped down on the couch.

"Wait, Susan. How did you get in here?" Harry asked.

"Hermione gave me the password. Don't worry, I know how to keep a secret," she whispered, smiling. Harry smiled and nodded uncomfortably.

"So what are you two kiddies up to?" Susan asked, raising her eyebrows with a mischievous grin.

"Nothing!" Harry and Hermione shouted at the same time, producing a frown from Susan.

"Why do you ask?" Hermione added, laughing nervously.

"Just... wondering," she said slowly, looking back and forth from Harry to Hermione. Hermione feigned a yawn and stretched.

"Well, Transfiguration notes all night can make anyone tired. I'm going to go to sleep," she said, gathered her books quickly, and rushed up the stairs. Susan looked to Harry.

"What did you DO to her, Harry?" she asked incredulously, only half- joking.

"Me!? I didn't do anything!" Harry exclaimed. "Good night, Susan," he hastily added and rushed up the stairs as well. He slammed the door shut harder than he had intended and flopped down on his bed, too confused to change properly or brush his teeth. What on earth had just happened??

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Great Hall seemed strangely empty. There was one table stretched out in the middle of the room, instead of the four normal house tables that were usually situated there. Golden plates, spoons, forks, knives, and silver goblets decorated the table, gleaming in the sunlight that poured in from the broad windows and from the bewitched ceiling. Not that Harry or Hermione noticed. They were too preoccupied in their own thoughts from the previous night, each too scared to look at the other, afraid of what they might see in each other's eyes. They walked as quickly as possible, eyes focused elsewhere, to the Hall for lunch that cold Saturday morning.

"Good afternoon, students!" Dumbledore welcomed them cheerfully. They looked up at the smiling face of the great man, and smiled back.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore," they greeted, Harry sitting down next to little Professor Flitwick, who beamed at him. Hermione purposefully seated herself across and to the left of Harry, next to Professor McGonagall.

"How are you, Harry?" the small teacher asked.

"Not bad, Professor. And you?" Harry replied.

"Charming!" he answered, then cracked up at his own joke. Harry forced himself to laugh along.

"Enjoying the winter holidays? It's a magical time, isn't it?" he commented.

"Um... it's something," Harry replied, uncertain as to how to respond to that question properly.

"Ah, Severus! How nice of you to join us this fine day!" Dumbledore exclaimed. Harry looked up to see Snape walk briskly through the tall doors and seat himself to the right of Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon, all," he answered crisply. Everyone else greeted back. Snape quickly surveyed the people around him, and when his eyes hit upon Harry, he gave him the usual cold stare, then turned to talk to Dumbledore in hushed tones. All of a sudden, a rush of cold air startled Harry from behind, and he turned around to see Professor Trelawney, the infamous Divination teacher, slide by and sit down next to Snape, whose face folded into a disgusted look before assuming its familiar bored expression. Harry had to stifle his laughter.

"Sibyll's here as well!" Dumbledore announced happily.

"Why?" McGonagall asked sharply, shooting Trelawney a quick glare before turning back to her plate.

"Well, I was gazing into my crystal ball, looking for Mercury's alignment with Earth's moons, when this powerful feeling washed over me that I had to be here," she explained mistily. Harry saw McGonagall roll her eyes and Hermione smile so wide, Harry thought she was going to burst out laughing at any moment.

"Are you sure that wasn't your hunger?" she retorted. Harry snorted into his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Come, now! It's Christmas time! Let's enjoy the festivities, shall we?" Dumbledore interrupted, with his voice and eyes full of laughter. Everyone else agreed. Suddenly, there was a high yelp as a small, raggedy- looking thing scurried into the Hall through the back door. Squinting, Harry realized that it was none other than the Malfoys' former house-elf, Dobby. He was wearing his tea cozy on his head once again, this time with a pair of what looked like shorts but stopped just above his ankles, rainbow suspenders, and a horrified expression on his face.

"What is it, Dobby?" Dumbledore barely had time to ask, before Dobby sped from one end of the Hall to the other in the blink of an eye, squealing the whole time.

"What's that gray blob in his hand?" Hermione asked, a note of disgust in her voice. Dumbledore calmly got up, walked over to the frantic house-elf, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Dobby stopped at once. His eyes grew wider than before (if that was possible), and he looked up at Dumbledore fearfully.

"What's wrong, Dobby?" he repeated, kneeling down in front of him. Then, Harry clearly saw what Dobby was holding in-between his thumb and index fingers: a small, gray, sick-looking, squirming rat hanging by its tail.

"Sir, I-I... I's been cooking, Professor sir! I's didn't do nothin', like Winky says. Winky's lying, sir! I's innocent!" Dobby exclaimed.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, sir, I's been cookin' in the kitchen, Professor sir. All of a sudden, Chitty screams, sir! Dobby don't know what's wrong! I runs over to her and she is screaming, 'There's a thing in my kitchen! Get it out!' Dobby doesn't know what to do, sir! So I grabs up the small thing and run! Chitty tells me to take it out, anywhere but the kitchens! So I run in here! I's so sorry, Professor Dumbledore, Sir!" Dobby wailed. Then, he abruptly started smacking himself on the head with his wrist. Dumbledore caught his wrist in a swift motion, then said, "Dobby, calm down. Now, take the rat outside, and everything will be fine." Dobby nodded his tear- stained face, his ears flapping, and started to scurry to the door.

Unexpectedly, the rat squirmed out of Dobby's long fingers and scurried toward the table, where Hermione let out a yelp as it brushed past her ankles. It ran under the table, then moved to the right and continued rushing past the surprised people. It approached Harry, who couldn't turn away or help noticing something odd about the small specimen. Abruptly, the rat stopped at Harry's foot, looked up at him, and winked.

Harry blinked rapidly, then opened his eyes wide to make sure he hadn't just seen a rat wink at him. It remained where it was, but now, its tiny lips curled up into what was unmistakably a grin. Suddenly, Harry saw a glint of silver on the rat. As Harry watched in shock, his brain scrambling for any idea of a similar rat he had seen before, it suddenly hit him: Peter Pettigrew was at Harry's feet.

"Professor! Wormtail! He's here!" Harry exclaimed, standing up and bumping his knee underneath the table in the process. Snape raised his head quickly.

"What?" he asked in a sharp tone.

"Wormtail! He's here! In his Animagus form!" Harry repeated, searching around him frantically for the small rat while clutching his throbbing right knee. But it had disappeared as fleetingly as it had come.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Professor Lupin?" Harry tentatively called out to the empty Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom. "Professor?" he tried again, a bit louder this time. He sighed and was about to turn around and head back when the kind teacher stepped in through a side door, face lighting up in a smile when he saw Harry.

"Good afternoon, Harry. What brings you here?" he asked cheerfully.

"Can I... talk to you? Or Sirius? Or both, preferably?" he asked. Lupin's smile faltered a bit. He nodded, checked the door, and then strode quickly to the fireplace, where the embers were still glowing from the recently put out fire. He conjured another roaring fire, then threw a pinch of white powder from a pot sitting on the mantel into it, shouting, "Sirius Black!" After a few seconds, Sirius' head popped in amidst the flames, grinning.

"Harry! Remus! How lovely to see you!" he exclaimed, but when he saw Harry's grim expression, the grin faded away.

"Nice to see you too, Sirius," Lupin replied warmly, looking expectantly at Harry.

"Hey, Sirius," Harry greeted with a small smile.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius inquired.

"How do you have access to a fireplace? Where are you? Is it safe?" Harry fired back. Sirius laughed.

"I'm in Remus' old house, Harry. Yes, I assure you, it's perfectly safe. I'll be staying for a few days, then moving out," he replied back calmly. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Well, first, did you know that Hogsmeade was attacked? And that the Dark Mark was found floating over it? And Nott was at the scene without a wand?" At this, Sirius merely nodded.

"Did you know where his wand was?" Harry forged on. "I had it." At this, Sirius' eyes grew wide. "Yeah, I know. Except I didn't know it was HIS wand at the time. I found it on Hagrid's mantelpiece," he explained.

"What were you doing in Hagrid's hut? Wasn't that out-of-bounds?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes. Harry flushed.

"I wanted to go see why. I was curious! So I went with Ron and Hermione with the Invisibility Cloak, and Hagrid wasn't home but Fang was, so he opened the door for us. We went in, and it was a total mess. Then, I saw a wand sitting on his mantel above the fireplace - which by the way had red embers, which meant someone had been there minutes before - and when I did the Priori Incantatem spell, a smaller version of the Dark Mark appeared," Harry rushed. Sirius was quiet, taking all this in.

"AND, when I did the Revelatio spell..." Harry started up again.

"I know about that, Harry. Lupin told me," Sirius cut him off. Harry took a deep breath and nodded.

"Do you know who it could've been? Lucius Malfoy, maybe? Or some other Death Eater? Crabbe? Goyle? Anyone?" Harry asked, grabbing names out of air.

"I don't know, Harry. That's truly strange...I'll look into it with the help of some friends. Now, until I come back with more information, I don't want you going anywhere else that's out-of-bounds. You're in fifth year. Surely you can understand what those three little words mean when put together," Sirius advised with a small smile. Harry smiled back.

"That's not all! Wormtail was here today!" Harry burst out, suddenly remembering. Both heads snapped up.

"Wormtail? As in Peter Pettigrew?" Lupin asked sharply. Harry nodded, swallowing. Lupin looked back at Sirius, who had gone a bit pale.

"What makes you so sure?" Sirius asked.

"Well, Dobby caught this rat that he found in the kitchens, and it looked all pale and sickly, so it reminded me of Wormtail last year. Then, it got out of Dobby's hands and started running by the table in the Great Hall. It stopped at my feet and looked up at me, and it WINKED! AND it SMILED at me! And to top it off, I swear I saw something silver shining on it!" Harry explained.

"Well, I may not know a whole lot, but I know rats CAN'T grin. I also happen to know that rats aren't silver," Sirius muttered. "How did he get in there in the first place?" Harry shrugged.

"How should I know?" he asked.

"I'll go check on the situation," Lupin hurried off. Sirius turned to Harry.

"Harry, Remus and I are going to look into this now. Don't lose sleep over it, as the Muggles say. And I don't want you 'exploring' any more until we have some concrete information, OK?" Sirius warned Harry very seriously. Harry nodded.

"Promise me, Harry. Its not to be taken lightly," Sirius said sternly.

"I promise, Sirius."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry slouched down further in his seat, mulling things of the past two days over in his head. How can so much happen in TWO days!? All I had planned was to catch up on sleep and relax over Break! he thought. But NO. I saw Peter Pettigrew at Hogwarts, had to put up with Snape so early, AND kissed Hermione! As this thought popped in his head, he groaned and slouched down so much, he slid off the red couch and onto the carpeted floor. He looked up into the fire, then above it, where he saw the gallant Gryffindor lion with its front paws in the air etched into the mantel. As he stared at it absentmindedly, the lion began to move.

It extended its paws even further into the air, as if stretching. Then, it lowered its body, let out what looked like a tremendous yawn, then settled its head on its front paws and went to sleep. Harry was in awe. He had never noticed that in all of the years he had been at Hogwarts. He was so absorbed that he didn't hear a friend come in.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we talk?"

Harry looked up to see Hermione, her big toffee eyes full of nervousness. He sighed deeply and picked himself up off the floor.

"Yes, Hermione?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"About last night..." she started. He put up a hand to stop her.

"Hermione, I don't know how it happened. It just did. You can't blame me for this," he stated blatantly.

"Harry! I wasn't going to blame you! For that matter, I wasn't going to blame me either. I was just going to ask... how do you feel about what happened last night?" she asked softly.

"How do I feel?" he asked incredulously. "I... can't begin to describe how I feel. How do YOU feel, Hermione?"

"I feel incredibly guilty, Harry. I mean, RON! Just because he isn't here and I miss him terribly doesn't mean I have to go and kiss my best friend! I feel horrible. But, somehow..."

"What did you say?" he asked, head snapping up.

"But somehow?" she asked, confused.

"No, no, no. Before that," he said, hoping she hadn't said what he thought she had said.

"Just because he isn't here and I miss him doesn't mean I have to... oh," It suddenly dawned on her the full meaning of those words, and she regretted having said them. She closed her mouth quickly.

"Yeah," harry curtly said and sat down on the couch again. She had said it.

"So I was just a distraction? You USED me because you missed Ron?" he asked, his anger rising in him, amongst other very strong feelings.

"Harry, it wasn't like that! Do you think I would really do that to you!?" she exclaimed, voicing her anger.

"I don't know, Hermione! Would you?" he shot back.

"Harry, I thought you knew me better than that. I wouldn't do that to you! Ever! I like you too much to hurt you!" she blurted out, then turned as red as a beet and turned away. Harry sat up straight. WHAT had she said? That she liked him too much?

"What?" he asked softly, slowly standing up, his ear on high alert just to make sure he wasn't hearing things because of his overwhelming anger.

"I...oh just forget it. Its never going to happen, Harry. Ron's still with me, and I'm...I'm happy," she whispered.

"Hermione, if you're truly happy with him, then why'd you do that last night? And why did you cry when Ginny accidentally kissed me the other night?" he asked, just as softly. She gasped and turned around.

"How do you know about that?" she bit out.

"Just because I'm 'Golden Boy', doesn't mean I'm stupid. I see things," he answered, smiling slightly. She did not return it.

"That was... I was having a bad day. That's all. I was in over my head, and all the stress just had me frustrated. You and Ginny had nothing to do with it," she said in a ‘That's-That’ tone. He hesitated, then merely nodded.

"Now, Harry. About last night, we have to forget about it. As soon as possible," she said in the same tone.

"I can't just forget it, Hermione! People don't JUST forget something like that! It’s easier said than done." His voice rose a little, then he took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Harry, you have to. It's the only way we'll get over this," she said grimly.

"Maybe I don't want to get over this!" he exclaimed. She stood silent for a minute, just staring at him. He stared back, somewhat unwillingly.

"Just forget about it, Harry. Forget it ever happened, forget we did anything. Forget about me," she whispered. He couldn't believe this.

"How can I forget about you when I love you?!"

She froze.

"You... you WHAT?" she asked in total shock at the words that had just left Harry Potter's mouth.

Harry couldn't move. All he could do was blink, and very rapidly. Try and blink the last few minutes away. Too bad it didn't work. He wanted more than anything to just leave, go far, far away and pretend this never happened. Not that it was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to talk about his feelings! He was going to do the healthy thing and keep it tightly bottled up inside.

He tried to force his legs to move, but they wouldn't budge an inch. To his immense relief, he heard a tapping on the frosted window. He swiveled around to see Hedwig, his snowy owl, tapping on the window with her beak and looking very impatient. Harry rushed over and quickly opened the window, whereupon the bird flew in and landed on his shoulder. He gently untied the letter from her leg. She nipped on his wrist affectionately and looked at him expectantly. He said, "Sorry Hedwig. I don't have any food for you. Next time, I promise." She let out a small hoot and flew haughtily out the window.

Harry quickly ripped the thin envelope open to find a messily scribbled note:

Harry ~

Please come to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom as soon as possible.

Professor Lupin

Harry let out a sigh, partly because of relief, and partly because of what was up that Lupin wanted him to come as soon as possible. He turned and walked toward Hermione. He stopped in front of her for a split second. Then, he was gone.

Hermione heaved a great sigh and slumped down on the armchair, utterly baffled and frustrated, on top of being in total shock.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What's going on?" were Harry's first words as he entered the dingy classroom. Lupin looked up from his writing and stood up behind his desk.

"Sirius has some things to tell you," he answered simply as he approached the fireplace, where Sirius' head was waiting apprehensively.

"What's going on?" Harry repeated, this time directed towards Sirius.

"Well, Harry, I did some research. Seems Wormtail was, indeed, sent to Hogwarts by Voldemort. To spy on the activities going on there. Of course, Peter's never been the subtle one, so he got himself thrown out. But be careful, Harry: mice can get back into any building. Now, about the Hogsmeade attack, everything there IS repaired, but the mystery of the Dark Mark remains. Nott was, in fact, found at the scene near the Three Broomsticks, underneath all the debris from the attack, and without a wand. No one knows why. And one more thing: The 'Hagrid' you saw in his hut? It was Connor Davies, killed by Lucius Malfoy," Sirius finished somberly.

"MALFOY?" Harry echoed.

"And he was with Dominic Malfoy as well," Lupin added.

"Who's Dominic Malfoy?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Lucius' brother," Sirius replied. "And fellow Death Eater."

"Wait... is he Robert Malfoy's father?" Harry asked, trying to piece this puzzle together.

"Yes. How did you know?" Sirius asked, taken aback.

"He goes to Hogwarts. Another Slytherin," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Figures. Well, they were both present at the little get-together in Hagrid's hut," Sirius informed.

"But I only saw one hooded figure there," Harry recalled.

"That's because the other was under an Invisibility Cloak," Sirius answered.

"Hang on. Connor Davies?" Harry exclaimed. "As in Roger Davies' father?"

"I'm afraid so, Harry," Lupin answered.

"But why Hagrid?" Harry wondered out loud. Lupin shrugged and Sirius merely tilted his head to one side.

"We don't know. Probably wanted to 'blend in' with their environment. Did a clumsy job, if you ask me," Sirius said with an edge. "Apparently, Lucius came there that day on Voldemort's orders. I don't exactly know what those orders were, but the reason was something along the lines of what Wormtail was trying to do, combined with something to do with his son."

"Did he threaten Hagrid?" Lupin asked sharply. Harry nodded.

Sirius and Lupin sighed in unison, a sigh more like letting out a pained breath.

"Harry, if Voldemort wants to get to you, I hate to say it, but he's closer than everyone thinks."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ron! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, clearly startled.

"'Surprise! Happy Christmas Eve!" Ron greeted, beaming.

"Ron, your head! It's in the fireplace! Is your fireplace connected to the Floo Network?" Hermione asked, scowling.

"Mum took it off temporarily, but its back on again thanks to dad!" he explained. "So, how ARE you? What have you been up to?"

"Oh, I... I'm good. There's a lot of snow here. I've been doing homework. You know, the usual," she answered nervously. "You?"

"Helping mum go overboard with the sweets again this year," he chuckled. "'Mione, I miss you," he added softly. She smiled diminutively.

"I miss you too, Ron. Things have been sort of chaotic around here. I mean, yesterday, Wormtail was here in the Great Hall!" she said.

"Wormtail!? That filthy bugger? Are you OK? Did he hurt you?" he fired the questions at her like bullets. She laughed.

"I'm FINE, Ron. Don't be so overprotective," she reassured him.

"I have to be overprotective, 'Mione. You're my girlfriend!" he answered, smiling shyly. At this word, events with Harry popped into her mind again, causing her to redden.

"Harry! How are you, mate?" Ron called. Hermione immediately turned her head to see Harry walk down the dorm stairs. She quickly turned back to the fireplace and looked at her feet.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, a bit alarmed that Ron was suddenly... visiting. "I've been... all right. You?"

"I've been good. Miss you guys," he answered. "Haven't been doing anything with my girl, have you?" he asked, grinning jokingly. For some reason, Harry got flustered.

"No!" he answered rather loudly. "Why would you say that? Did you hear that somewhere?" he shot back.

"Calm DOWN, Harry! I was only joking!" Ron shook his head, laughing. Harry laughed along nervously, slightly embarrassed for going off.

"I know that, Ron! So was I!" Harry tried to conceal his outburst. He grinned widely.

"Excuse me for a minute," Hermione said and got up and went to get her books from the other side of the room. Ron started whispering, but she could still hear him.

"You won't believe this! Lavender Brown apparently lives near me in Ottery St. Catchpole, and she came over yesterday with her parents, and we ate dinner outside, and when we were done, me and her were the only ones outside, and she kissed me! She said she had wanted to do it under the stars for ages!" Ron said urgently. Hermione sauntered back over nonchalantly before Harry had a chance to react or reply.

"OK, mate. Happy Christmas Eve. Hermione told me Wormtail was here! Tell me about it!" Ron said in a concerned voice and with eyes like saucers.

"Well, we were at the Great Hall for lunch..." Harry started, but Ron interrupted with, "Hang on a minute. I'M COMING, MUM!"

"Sorry, guys. I've got to go. Mum's screeching at me again. Hope you like your presents!" he apologized.

"That's OK, Ron. Happy Christmas. Enjoy your present as well," Harry answered and smiled warmly at his best friend. He missed Ron. Everything that had gone on between the three of them so far this year set aside, he truly missed his right-hand man.

"Bye! Bye, 'Mione!" Ron turned to Hermione. She smiled and waved. He simpered.

"Bye," he said one final time and his head disappeared, thereby returning the flames to their usual shades. Harry and Hermione looked guiltily at each other. Then, Hermione rapidly jumped up and ran for the portrait hole before one word could be divulged.

Harry exhaled deeply, then headed for the portrait hole himself. Once outside, he turned and made his way toward the Great Hall. He needed some company right now. He didn't want to be alone. As he walked further on, he saw a head of bushy brown hair attached to a slender body walking a good ten feet ahead of him. Her robes swished behind her as she walked swiftly, heading in the same direction as Harry. Without a word or noise, he just walked behind her. As they approached the Hall, he picked up his pace significantly so he was almost right behind her. As all of his attention was directed toward Hermione, he didn't notice that she had stopped abruptly. He walked into her.

He looked over her head to see why she had stopped, and the Great Hall froze him in his tracks as well. It was more beautiful than it had been in the past four years. The twelve usual gigantic trees were situated as they always were, but glittering icicles were added to them as well as random places in the vast space of the Hall, giving it a gleaming quality. There were also golden bells every ten paces or so, chiming out carols. The floor was a sheet of ice, much like one sees in a Muggle ice rink. You could see your reflection as you walked on it, but it wasn't at all slippery. It felt the same as any other floor, just looked more beautiful.

Harry's mind suddenly played an image of him and Hermione, him in a formal suit and her in a beautiful soft pink flowing off-the-shoulders dress, dancing across the smooth floor, twirling around and around the Great Hall, no one or nothing but the two of them and soft music. They suddenly stopped in the middle of the Hall, and he bent down to kiss her deeply. She ran her fingers through his hair as she returned the kiss just as passionately. When they pulled back, they were both breathless before Hermione pushed her lips against his again, this time running her tongue along his bottom lip and making him shiver. He opened his mouth under hers, and they had a brief battle with their tongues, before his mouth moved down to the creamy skin on her neck. His hands traveled down further, down...

"Harry! Hermione! Since you two seem immobilized, I assume that you like the decorations?" came Dumbledore's kind voice from inside the Hall, where he was busy decorating along with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall. Suddenly, Harry came crashing back to Earth as he realized he was pressed against Hermione's back lightly. He inhaled, taking in the scent of her hair that smelled like roses mixed with sweet candy.

"Oh, sorry, Professor. The Hall just looks so gorgeous," Hermione broke their silence, smiling at Professor Dumbledore, who grinned back over the rims of his glasses.

"Now, since this IS a traditional Christmas, and you two ARE standing under what I like to call mistletoe..." Dumbledore trailed off, amusement in his voice. Harry's eyes opened wide in shock as he realized what Dumbledore was suggesting. He had seen Muggles do it many times before. He had even seen Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon do it to each other (which was not pleasant and, if he hadn't moved, could've scarred him for life). He looked down at Hermione, who had an expression of utter and complete embarrassment displayed on her face.

"Professor, you MUST be joking! Harry? And I? No way!" she protested heavily, her breathing shallower.

"It is tradition! In addition, it is CHRISTMAS! Why, when I got stuck under there with Severus, I..." Professor McGonagall began, a smile playing at her lips.

"OK, Professor! We can imagine," Harry interrupted her before she could go on any further. The others laughed while McGonagall turned to the tree nearest to her with a huff and began trimming it. Dumbledore was still looking at them, smiling widely.

Harry took a deep breath and turned to face Hermione, who did the same. They looked into each other's eyes.

"It's NOT quite the crisis situation you imagine," McGonagall said impatiently. Now, everyone in the Hall had turned their attention to the two students in the doorway, who were having breathing problems. Harry realized that whether he wanted to or not, he was going to have to make a move first. Here goes, he thought as he slowly leaned in. Hermione closed her eyes, heart thumping away a mile a minute, so loud she could hear the banging in her ears, and tilted her head slightly up to meet Harry's inviting lips. His lips are so soft, she thought, as she relaxed into the kiss.

"Isn't that precious, Albus?" McGonagall's voice sliced through their own little cloud nine, planting their feet firmly on the ground. They slowly pulled away, and looked into each other's glazed eyes for a second before turning away, identical looks of embarrassment clear on their faces (much to the teachers' amusement).

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry stared at himself in the mirror. What is wrong with me? he thought, groaning as yet another yawn, followed by the Mistletoe Incident (as Harry had christened it), played over in his mind.

"You need to go to sleep, dear," the mirror said to him sleepily, causing him to jump slightly. He nodded, more to himself than to the mirror, and made his way out of the bathroom to his bed. He pulled off his glasses, and yawning again, slipped off into a haunting slumber.

The high, cackling voice resounded across the barren room.

"Bring me the specimen, Wormtail," the shrill voice ordered. A small man, slumped over, scuttled to the side of the high-backed armchair. From the side, a white hand with long, bony fingers reached out as the man named Wormtail handed him a squiggling bundle.

"Yes," the thing in the chair hissed. "Dominic's daughter will provide an excellent ingredient while I go after my real prize."

"Abscindo Legionis!" the piercing voice intoned. The bundle cried out as the blankets surrounding it became soaked with a rich red color. The chilling hand ripped the blankets away from the body, revealing a chubby but pale baby. Its tiny hands grasped around thin air as its body opened down the middle, the river of red increasing. It reached for safety, for reassurance that this wasn't happening. Nothing came. The seam along the middle of the body grew in length until there was a slit down the middle of the baby.

The fingers pointed to the baby's heart, and the voice cried, "Abrado!" As Harry watched from the back of the room in growing horror, the tiny life's heart was neatly levitated out of its body and into the waiting hand. The baby's cries stopped at once. The hand squeezed the still-pumping heart slightly, producing a thin trickle of blood to run between the fingers. The hand disappeared behind the chair, and a few seconds later, slurping sounds could be heard as the voice discordantly cackled into the night. Suddenly, the still child transformed into Hermione, lying limp in Voldemort's hand, white as a sheet, with a slit down her middle and blood all over.

Hermione sat up at the sudden sound. She leaned forward, trying to identify the noise that pierced the silent night. Her eyes grew wide as she placed a label on the sound: it was Harry screaming. She scrambled out of her bed and ran straight for the boys' dorm, bursting in and shutting the door behind her before hurrying over to Harry's bed. She opened the hangings to reveal Harry screaming and tossing back and forth rapidly.

"Harry! HARRY!" she shook him as she yelled his name. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "HARRY!"

He stopped screaming as abruptly as he had started and sat up, his eyes shooting open and his breathing raspy and shallow. "Hermione..." he gasped.

"Harry, is everything all right?" she asked, concern written all over her face and in her voice.

"I... I dreamt that... you..." he tried to talk between breaths, but it was too hard. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, his scar throbbing.

"What, Harry?" she gently prompted.

"Voldemort. He... he had this baby, and he said something about someone named Dominic's child being a proper ingredient. Then, he slit the baby open down the middle and started to drink its heart. And then, the baby turned into you! And... and...I was so scared. I thought..." he trailed off, too scared to say the words.

"Its OK, Harry. I'm safe," she whispered as she pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gathered her to him, trying to chase away the gruesome scenes of the nightmare. She rubbed his back gently, trying to calm him down. After a few minutes, she pulled back and looked in his eyes.

"Are you OK? You DO realize it was only a silly nightmare?" she sounded hopeful. He nodded and smiled slightly, letting her know everything was OK. She smiled back, saying, "All right. Good night, Harry", and stood up to leave. He caught her hand before she could move too far away.

"Can you stay with me tonight, Hermione? I just... I want to know you're safe," he asked her pleadingly. She looked at him, surprised, then relaxed and nodded, giving him a smile. She walked back over and lay down on the bed next to him, on her side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her tightly to him, both forgetting their inhibitions and limits. Hermione relaxed in his arms. Why does this feel... right? she thought to herself, but all thoughts flew out and she became drowsy.

"Good night, 'Mione," Harry whispered. She turned around in his arms so he was on his side and she was on her back looking up at him.

"Harry, your scar. It looks swollen," she commented softly, running a finger gently over it. He winced slightly.

"Sorry," she whispered, immediately pulling her hand back. He smiled.

"Its OK," he answered, taking her hand and kissing the palm. She placed her hand gently on his cheek, and he leaned in. she reached up and kissed him deeply.

Harry ran his hand under her pajama top onto her waist, tracing lazy circles. This reminded her of when she and Ron had kissed, and she almost shrank back. But then she remembered what Ron had said about kissing Lavender. For some reason, she wanted to keep on going and put Ron out of her mind for this one night. Just like he probably had when he had had dinner with the Browns. She kissed him back full force, pushing her hand under his shirt to feel his well-toned muscles. He moved off her lips and down to her neck, and she threw her head back to allow better access.

He moved back up and captured her lips in a soft kiss, which left her lips tingling.

"Feeling better?" she whispered.

"Much," he answered, grinning.

Hermione opened her eyes to bright sunshine, an arm draped loosely across her stomach, and a warm body pressed against her back. Suddenly, the previous night came back to her in a rush, causing a smile to play across her face. She turned around and dropped a gentle kiss on Harry's forehead and saw that he was sleeping peacefully, his breaths deep and even. She smiled again and turned back around. She carefully removed his arm, and started to sit up, when his hand pulled and she was back in the position she had started. She groaned silently and glanced at Harry. He was smiling now. She laughed quietly and tried to remove his arm again, but he pulled once more so she was closer to him than before. She could tell he was feigning sleep.

"Harry!" she exclaimed softly.

"Mmm," he mumbled.

"Stop, Harry! Get up!" she said, smacking his arm playfully.

"I'm tired, Hermione!" he groaned, burying his face in her neck.

"So what? I'm not! At least let me go!" she replied, giggling. His breath was tickling her neck.

"Well, I am. So I'm not getting up. Besides, it's a holiday! And plus, you're warm and cuddly," he replied, muffled. He pulled her closer to him.

"So, I'm your teddy bear now?" she asked. He laughed and looked at her.

"Yep." he grinned.

"I don't think so, Harry Potter. Go cuddle with Dobby. He seems to love you," she retorted, laughing.

"Ugh. No offense, I like Dobby and everything, but he's really not my type," he answered, face twisted into a disgusted expression. He propped his head on his hand, still on his side, and looked down at Hermione.

"Really? What IS your type, then?" she demanded, amused.

"Well," he mused, "first, they have to be human. And a girl." She laughed.

"Maybe Pansy Parkinson, then?" she suggested.

"God, NO! Besides, I think she and Malfoy make a cute couple. Ugly and ugly," Harry answered.

"Well, maybe Moaning Myrtle is more your style," she proposed.

"Its kind of hard to do anything with someone who DOESN'T exist anymore! Even though she was kind enough to offer me a toilet next to her," he commented. She laughed.

"Besides, I don't really like any other girl except one," he added more softly.

"And who might this mystery girl be?" she played along, knowing very well what his answer was.

"Well, she's gorgeous, and she's really smart, and she's extremely sweet, and not to mention an incredible kisser," he answered thoughtfully.

"Wow. Sounds like quite the catch," she said, studying him.

"She is. I'm really lucky to know her and be with her," he said, looking into her eyes. She felt like she could lose herself in his bright green eyes.

"Does your scar still hurt?" Hermione asked after a brief pause.

"No. Not anymore," he responded.

"Good," she whispered, running her fingers delicately over his forehead and brushing away his hair from his eyes. Harry leaned in and touched her lips with his own, making her tingle all over. Suddenly, there was a noise like a whip-crack, and a small, raggedy-looking thing with round eyes popped in next to Harry's bed. Harry immediately pulled away and shouted, "Dobby!"

Hermione gasped and turned a deep shade of red.

"I-I... I have to go brush my, um, teeth," she mumbled. She got up quickly and in her hurry, tripped over the presents piled on the floor next to the bed and almost fell.

"Its OK! I'm all right!" she said hastily and bolted for the door. Harry, however, didn't have the option of doing that. He sat rooted to his bed, embarrassed beyond his years.

"So sorry, Harry Potter, sir! Its eleven in the morning and Winky told me to go make the beds in the boys dorms, sir! I's so sorry!" Dobby wailed. Then, he turned to Harry's 'Flying With The Cannons' book and slammed it against his forehead repeatedly, yelping after every blow. Harry scrambled out of bed and went to the other side of it, seizing the book in mid-blow and ripping it out of Dobby's hand. The small house-elf looked up at him with big watery eyes.

"Its really all right, Dobby. Nothing to worry about. And you don't have to do that anymore, remember? You're not at the Malfoys. Its OK to make mistakes," Harry reassured. Dobby nodded rapidly and sniffled.

"If you say so, Harry Potter sir," he said softly, then started snapping from place to place, cleaning things up and making the bed at lightning speed. Harry sighed and reached for the presents. He ripped the first one open. It was from Hagrid, a box full of cauldron cakes. Harry smiled at the card Hagrid had made by himself, that read: Merrie Christmas, Harry. Hope youre Christmas is filled with a thousand joys.

Ron's was next. It was Harry's very own Wizard's Chess set, the pieces gleaming like the board. The note on top read:

Harry ~

Happy Christmas! Practice with this. Maybe one day you'll beat me (not likely though, mate.)

Ron

Harry laughed at this, and opened the adjoining box to find Mrs. Weasley's famous sweaters, this time in a light green with an H on the front, along with homemade fudge. The box also contained a box of Jumping JellyBeans and Giggly Gummy Worms, care of Fred and George. Harry set those aside and opened Hermione's present, expecting a book.

It was beautiful. Harry held in his hands a small box, which held a crystal rose. The flower had been so intricately constructed that if it hadn't been made of crystal, Harry could've sworn was a real flower. The stem was a light translucent green, the leaves a darker translucent green, and the petals... the petals were the most radiant part of the whole flower. Each layer of the rose was a different color, and the colors kept changing. Harry watched it, and didn't see the same color twice. It was emitting silver glittery sparks from the edges. Tucked to the side was a small note:

Dear Harry ~

I wanted to give you something special, something besides a book. Happy Christmas!

Love, Hermione

P.S. Look on the stem for a surprise!

Harry was almost afraid to touch the gorgeous rose. He set the note aside and slowly opened the lid. He reached in and gently lifted the rose out and raised the stem to his eyes. Amongst the green, he could see small red letters: For each other: H.G. and H.P. Harry smiled widely as he realized what it meant. It symbolized Hermione and Harry, their special bond represented in this delicate object. He carefully placed the rose back in the box and set it on his table, hoping that Hermione liked his present as much as he liked hers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a refreshing shower, Hermione donned a pair of light blue jeans and a black full-sleeved top. She combed her bushy hair (it did no good), and then wandered over to her bed to open the presents. She had received a photo album of childhood pictures from her parents, a makeup kit from Ginny, and a box of very pretty bracelets from Parvati, among other presents from friends and family. Then, she reached Harry's present. She opened the oblong box and gasped.

There lay a soft dress in a caramel shade, folded neatly. She took it out of the box and placed it to herself and looked down. It had thin straps, a small layer over the chest on top of the dress, which ended just above the ribcage, and the dress itself ended at her ankles. It was beautiful. She smiled as she folded it back up and placed it in her box. Underneath, she caught sight of something glinting in the morning sunlight. She pushed the tissue paper aside and saw a circular translucent hand-held mirror. She carefully pulled it out and as she glanced into it, it began swirling. She furrowed her brow in confusion before seeing something sticking on the back. She pulled it off and read:

Hermione ~

By now, you've probably seen the dress. Hope you like it. The mirror shows you your memories. Just think of the memory, and it will play over in the mirror. For when you're depressed, to cheer you up. Merry Christmas!

Harry

Hermione grinned, and stowed all her presents away, being the most careful with Harry's present. She spotted an unopened one, and she grabbed it and ripped it open. It was from Ron. A small rectangular white book lay in her hands. She tried to pry it open, but couldn't. She took out her wand and said, "Alohomora!" Nothing happened. "What - " she muttered, examining the book. Suddenly, a slip of parchment fell out the top and opened in front of her.

Hey 'Mione ~

Merry Christmas! Wish I could be there to wish you in person (and follow it up with a kiss), but I can't. Miss you tons! This is a diary, for you to stow your most private thoughts in (and for me to read later on, so write good things about me!) To open it, just say 'Adaperio Mysteria'. There is also a charm so that only people you WANT to read will be able to read the contents: Multus (their name or your name) Acroasis. When you close it, it will lock by itself.

Hugs and kisses (and much more), Ron

Hermione laughed, feeling a twinge of guilt somewhere inside her, but ignored it and said the charm, unlocking the diary. She opened it gently just to see if everything was all right: it was. She sighed and placed it with the rest of her presents and right next to Harry's on her side table. She turned and headed to the common room, where she encountered Harry himself.

"I love the present," she came up behind him and whispered in his ear. He smiled and turned around.

"I love yours more. It's gorgeous. Thanks," he replied sincerely and kissed her on the cheek. Somehow, she wanted more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Christmas sped by, with Hermione finishing her homework and extra credits frantically and catching up on her reading while Harry was getting back into Quidditch and finishing his homework as well, though not as eagerly as Hermione. Soon after, Ron returned from The Burrow and not long after that, classes started up again. Harry regretted this because for one, classes had started up again. Secondly, Angelina Johnson (who had been officially voted captain) was waking them up at the oddest hours of the day to practice. He missed sleeping in. And third and finally, he missed spending time with Hermione. Now that Ron was back, he made sure she stayed under his wing. It was true, she had looked uncomfortable now and then, but Harry didn't say anything.

After four hours of Quidditch practice and having just finished a three-foot long essay for Potions, Harry was bushed. He collapsed on the common room couch as soon as he entered, and found Ron finishing his own essay.

"I hate Snape," Ron grumbled. "Wish holidays had never ended."

Harry wished the same, but remained silent. After a few minutes, Ron asked tentatively, "Harry? I need to talk to you about something."

Harry slowly opened his eyes at looked at Ron, who looked a bit nervous.

"What's up, Ron?" he asked, sitting up, his joints aching from practice.

"Well," Ron said, putting his quill in his bag, "promise you won't tell anyone. SWEAR, Harry."

"I swear. Now tell me what it is," Harry grumbled.

"You know how over break I told you Lavender kissed me?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Yeah," Harry replied slowly.

"Well, the day before break ended, she was crying about something. We were in my backyard. So I went to talk to her, and she said her Muggle friend was in the hospital, and they had been close, and she was scared. So I hugged her and I said that everything would be all right. And then..." Ron paused, looking directly at Harry.

"And then what, Ron?" Harry asked, more alert.

"She kissed me again! Not just any kiss, it was tongue and everything! God, I was so uncomfortable, but..." he trailed off again.

"But?" Harry prompted anxiously.

"But then, I kind of relaxed, and sort of maybe kind of kissed her back. I don't know why. Maybe because I missed Hermione... maybe not. Does this mean I'm falling for Lavender?" he asked somewhat fearfully. Harry shrugged after taking a moment to register this.

"I don't know, Ron," he answered quietly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin!" the commentator announced jovially. "First, the Ravenclaw team!" Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors watched as the Ravenclaw Quidditch team came flying out, a blur of blue and black. "Aaaand... the Slytherin team!" At this, the Slytherin team came flying out, one behind the other, out onto the field and up into the periwinkle blue sky, their green uniforms blending in with the grass.

"Now, I want a nice, clean game! Any fouls and you suffer!" Madame Hooch, referee, yelled to both teams. The captain of Ravenclaw, a sixth year named Ryan Altman, strode over to the center of the field toward Madame Hooch.

"Malfoy!" she barked. Draco Malfoy landed smoothly next to her, and as he was acting captain, he shook Ryan's hand.

"Have a good game, Altman," he sneered. "Not that you'll win." Ryan merely glared back and they took off into the air. Hooch tossed the red Quaffle upwards, followed by the notorious Bludgers, and finally, the tiny winged ball, the Snitch. At once, the distinct bodies became blurs as they all went after balls and tried to score simultaneously for their respective teams.

"Remember, the Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points - Malfoy passes to Zabini, and Zabini scores! That brings the grand total to 30-10, Slytherin!" the voice announced. Ron groaned next to Harry.

"I wish for once that someone other than Gryffindor could beat Slytherin, just to wipe those smirks off their ugly faces," he growled.

"Well, Ron, they're doing the best they can!" Hermione said briskly, in a 'Don't-Insult-Them-They're-Doing-Better-Than-You' tone. Ron just rolled his eyes.

The game progressed, slowly and extremely close. 30-10 became 50-50, then 70-50 Ravenclaw (producing a whoop from Ron that made Harry shield his ears), and then 100-100. By this time, Ron was biting his nails down to the bone.

"'Mione, I bit all my nails off. Can I bite yours?" he asked, eyes riveted on the game.

"No, Ron! Get a grip!" she replied crossly (he had been yelling in her ear for the past twenty minutes).

"RAVENCLAW SEEKER CINDY TENORIO HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! RAVENCLAW WINS 250-100!" the commentator bellowed, following it up with a coughing fit. Harry and Ron screamed "Yes!" in unison and clapped until their hands stung. Harry saw Malfoy, with an expression to kill, looking daggers at Cindy, who had the Snitch grasped tightly in her hand. He slowly landed and, with one last glare, stalked off.

"Draco," a cold voice said from behind the Slytherin Tower seats. Draco turned in all directions before spotting the man he mirrored: Lucius Malfoy, standing with his arms crossed, his staff in one hand, and his cold, gray eyes narrowed. Draco headed towards him, looking around to make sure no one saw.

"Hello, father," he answered crisply, looking right at the tall, rigid man.

"What happened out there? I thought you had new tactics for your next game?" Lucius asked, raising a platinum eyebrow.

"Well, I did, but Tenorio faked me out," he grumbled, his anger rising. "I'm going to wring..."

"Now, now, Draco. What have I told you?" Lucius mildly reprimanded. Draco took a calming breath and glanced up at his father again.

"No matter that you didn't do well in this one. You're still in the lead for the Cup, are you not?" Lucius asked.

"Tied with Gryffindor," Draco spat.

"Ah, yes. Gryffindor. The house of Harry Potter," Lucius commented in an amused voice. "Draco, I have come to tell you some important news. The Dark Lord has decided that you should get your mark early," Lucius informed, enjoying the flicker of fear that crossed Draco's eyes before they became stone cold again.

"He has?" he asked in a mild tone. Lucius nodded.

"Apparently, he sees something in you that could be of importance to him. But how could he not? You're a Malfoy. And as a first task, you must spy on Harry Potter," he remarked.

"Spy on Potter? You must be mad," Draco responded.

"Draco, do not insult me. You know what that can bring you. Since you attend this pathetic school with him anyway, you can check on him every once in a while, can you not? You will be doing an immense favor for the Dark Lord, and he will be very pleased," Lucius said sternly.

"Father, I have better things to do than look after Golden Boy. Being in classes with him is enough. Its pointless," Draco replied. Lucius drew himself up, so he towered over Draco.

"I told you to watch your mouth! You will do this. It is not a choice. And for your impudence..." And before Draco knew what was happening, he was writhing in agony in the floor after Lucius' cold voice cried, "Crucio!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Wow! Did you SEE Malfoy's face?" Ron chuckled, wiping the tears from his eyes as the mass of students headed back to their houses. "He looked like he was about to cry! His inflated head must've burst after today!" Harry laughed.

"Ron, you're not going to stop for a while, are you?" he asked, looking at Ron, who doubled over laughing again. He could only shake his head. Hermione shook her head, rolled her eyes, and muttered "Boys" as she followed the other two to the Gryffindor common room.

"Golden Griffin", Hermione intoned to the Fat Lady, and the portrait swung open to reveal the cozy common room. Hermione sat down on the couch and immersed herself in a book.

"Want to play a game of Wizard's Chess?" Ron suggested.

"Sure," Harry acknowledged and they sprinted up the stairs.

"Ow!" a female voice exclaimed. Harry turned around to see that Ron had walked straight into none other than Lavender Brown.

"I'm sorry, Lavender," Ron apologized quickly, turning a brilliant shade of crimson.

"Its all right," she answered, smiling to let him know that the situation wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought it was, even though she was blushing a matching shade as Ron.

"Are you OK?" he asked, actually looking up from his feet, that had seemed fascinating. Harry watched, interested in this exchange, as Lavender answered, "I'm fine. "

"That's good. Well, I've got to go. See you around," Ron added and rushed off to the boys' dorms. Harry followed, somewhat amused but also confused as to the display that he had just witnessed.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked as he opened his trunk.

"What? Oh, that? Nothing!" Ron replied, his face slowly returning to its normal pallor. Harry moved the excess parchment, ink, quills, presents, and books aside to search for the chess set. Suddenly, he saw a flash of gray before it was gone again. He frowned and pushed all of his things to one side, searching for whatever it was that had disappeared so quickly. He saw two small, beady eyes staring up at him from the darkness of the bottom of the trunk, and as he blinked, it was gone again.

He threw the contents of the trunk on the floor and looked for the body attached to the eyes.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Ron asked from behind him. Harry didn't answer, but kept shoveling things out of the trunk. At last, among the folds of his Invisibility Cloak, he saw it: a small, gray-white rat. He caught its tail swiftly and drew it up to his face, and his eyes widened.

Be careful, Harry. Mice can get back into any building, Sirius had said. Harry recoiled in horror, his fingers pinched tightly on the small mouse's tail. Wormtail was back.

"Harry! Throw it out!" Ron exclaimed disgustedly. Harry turned around to look briefly at Ron, then got up and ran to the window. He opened it and tossed the rat out as far as he could fling it. He quickly snapped the window shut and heaved a sigh, leaning against the window.

"Was that..." Ron asked shakily. Harry nodded. "That was Wormtail, Ron."

"Harry! Ron! Lunch!" Hermione rapped on the door, jolting them back.

"Coming, Hermione!" Ron yelled back. He turned back to Harry, who held a finger up to his mouth, signaling that Ron should not mention the incident that had just taken place. Ron nodded and they left for the Great Hall.

"Mr. Potter, may I speak to you for a moment, please?" Harry turned around from his food and looked up at the sallow face of Severus Snape.

"What about?" Harry replied.

"Please. Come with me," Snape said curtly as he walked off, robes billowing behind him. Harry glanced back at Ron and Hermione, who gave him identical questioning looks. Harry shrugged and followed Snape down the deserted hallways to the cold dungeons. Harry hugged himself to keep warm as they entered the frigid room that was the Potions classroom. Snape headed straight for the desk and pulled something out of one of the drawers.

"Mr. Potter, can you tell me what this is?" he asked, holding up a jar that had a rat inside, clawing at the walls. Harry's eyes widened.

"Professor, where'd you get that?" Harry asked slowly, nearing the desk.

"The funniest of things. I was walking on the Quidditch pitch, and surprisingly, a rat landed on my head," Snape answered calmly, holding up the jar higher.

"Professor, that's Wormtail," Harry answered.

"Mr. Potter, do you expect me to believe that this rat, that I saw you fling out your window, is Peter Pettigrew?" Snape was growing impatient.

"I'm not lying! That really is him! It's the same rat from lunch during the holidays!" Harry exclaimed.

"Mr. Potter," Snape continued, "for your actions and your audacity, Gryffindor will lose fifty points, and you will receive a detention with Hagrid tonight, since he needs help anyway. Eight pm. Don't be late," Snape smirked slightly.

"But... but that really IS Wormtail!" Harry sputtered, but Snape left with the jar, leaving an astounded Harry in the cold dungeons, seething with anger.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe you have to serve detention! For telling the TRUTH!" Ron groaned.

"I know. But this is Snape we're talking about," Harry replied. They were in the common room after dinner, grumbling and complaining about Harry's detention.

"What did you get detention, anyway?" Seamus inquired, wandering over and sitting next to Ron.

"Yeah, Harry, what for?" Hermione repeated.

"Um..." Harry looked at Ron, who looked back nervously.

"I-I left a potion open. I forgot to close it, and it mixed with, uh, this other potion, and it created this huge mess," Harry made up off the top of his head.

"That's rotten luck," Neville came over and sat on the floor. It looked like the others believed him as well, all except Hermione, who gave him a look that said that he wasn't telling the truth and she was going to find it out.

"Yeah, well, Snape never liked me. Its no surprise," Harry commented, looking away from Hermione.

"Harry, its almost eight. You better go," Ron said, glancing at his watch. Harry nodded and stood up.

"Good night," he said and left, receiving similar looks of sympathy from everyone. Harry headed out the front entrance down to Hagrid's hut, the sharp wind biting his face. He shivered and walked faster over the dew- strewn grass. Finally, he approached the small but cozy looking house with the windows glowing from the fire inside. He ran up to the front door and was about to knock when he realized that it was slightly ajar.

Harry slowly opened it enough to peek in, and saw Dumbledore talking to Hagrid in front of the fire. Harry squinted. That wasn't Dumbledore. He was wearing... blue jeans and a plaid shirt? He looked exactly like Dumbledore, minus the long beard and hair. Instead, he had a closely cropped silver beard and matching shoulder-length hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of the neck.

"I dunno how in the world that slimy git got inter Hogwarts in the first place!" Hagrid roared. He looked very angry.

"Now, now, Hagrid," the Dumbledore look-alike said in a voice much like Dumbledore's, "no need to get overexcited. We will figure out how and why he got in. Now, don't you have a detention with one of your students?"

"Yeah," Hagrid sighed heavily. "I juss hope that stupid prat doesn't harm anyone. 'Specially Harry."

"Hagrid, don't worry yourself. You know I'm here to keep an eye on things," the copy of Dumbledore reassured.

"I know, Aberforth. That makes me feel a lot better," Hagrid gave a small smile. Aberforth? Harry thought. Somewhere deep inside his brain, that name sounded familiar.

"Good," Aberforth replied with a grin. Then, in the blink of an eye, he transformed into... Fang.

Harry blinked. Aberforth? Fang? Animagus? All these thoughts swam in his head as he tried to make proper sense of it. He leaned too much against the door, and he almost fell in. he straightened up to meet the shocked face of Hagrid and the surprised look among Fang's droopy jowls.

"'Arry! Didn't see ye come in there!" Hagrid boomed, and Fang greeted him with a loud bark.

"H-hey, Hagrid," Harry replied shakily, giving him a wavering smile.

"Come on in!" Hagrid ushered him in and sat him in front of the fire.

"Treacle fudge?" he offered, holding out a big pot. Harry shook his head with a "No thanks." Hagrid set the pot down on the scrubbed table and sat down on the overstuffed armchair, nervously clearing his throat.

"So, 'Arry. Snape tells me ye flung a rat onto his head," Hagrid said after a minute of uncomfortable silence, during which Fang looked back and forth between Hagrid and Harry.

"Yeah," Harry answered, looking at Fang, then into the fire. After another uncomfortable minute, Harry took a deep breath, about to let Hagrid know that he had seen the exchange between him and Fang... Aberforth, he corrected himself. As he opened his mouth, Fang transferred back into the old man who resembled Dumbledore so much. Harry was surprised. I have a feeling I have to get used to this, he thought.

"Aberforth!" Hagrid exclaimed, looking fearfully at Harry.

"Its OK, Hagrid," Harry hastily answered. "I already know. I came a few minutes back, and I saw you two talking."

"But..." Hagrid started, to be interrupted gently by Aberforth, who said, "Its OK, Hagrid. Harry should know."

"How do you know me?" Harry asked, turning to the old man who had the same blue eyes as his own Headmaster.

"Albus HAS told me all about you, of course," he answered warmly.

"Albus? You're Dumbledore's brother!" Harry said, realization suddenly hitting him. Aberforth only nodded, a familiar twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

"Yes, Harry. I've been for quite some time now," he answered, smiling. Harry smiled back.

"I've also been at Hogwarts for quite some time. It wad Hagrid's idea for me to stay here to keep an eye on the recent wave of students, especially since the Boy Who Lived was coming to Hogwarts as well. You've outdone yourself these past four years, Mr. Potter," Aberforth complimented. Harry blushed.

"Voldemort's back, so I guess we're back to where we started," Harry replied.

"True, but now he's a little more afraid, even though he's not going to show it, about what COULD happen to him. After last year, exclusively," he answered with an air of confidence just like Dumbledore.

"I understand," Harry replied, nodding. "But, Mr. Dumbledore, why are you wearing Muggle clothes?"

"Aberforth, please, Harry. The Mr. Is reserved for my brother," he responded with a grin, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. "And as for your latter question, I decided early on to settle in the Muggle world. Much less complications, you understand," he explained. Harry nodded.

"'Arry, you shouldn' tell ANYONE about Aberforth here. He's a secret, understand?" Hagrid warned.

"Yes, Hagrid," Harry answered promptly, while the very thought of letting Ron and Hermione know flashed across his mind.

"So, now that everythin's squared away, there's still the matter of your punishment," Hagrid said thoughtfully.

"It's not fair! Wormtail was in that jar Snape had, and yet he wouldn't believe me!" Harry claimed. Both Aberforth and looked at Harry in surprise.

"Peter? He was here?" Aberforth inquired carefully.

"Yes! Christmas holidays and I found him in my trunk the other day. That's why I flung him out the window. I was panicked, and hoped he'd die in the fall or something. My luck, he lands on Snape's greasy hair," he grumbled, momentarily forgetting whom he was with. Then, he looked around him, blushing crimson and looking at his feet.

To his surprise, Aberforth laughed. Harry looked up, confused.

"That's very clever," he commented.

"It-it is?" he asked uncertainly. He looked over at Hagrid, whose eyes were dancing with laughter.

"Very much so. Now, about Wormtail. Why didn't Severus believe you? Doesn't Peter have a silver paw?" Aberforth wondered.

"Yes, but I didn't see anything silver on him either time," Harry replied.

"Hmm. Voldemort must have done something to hide it so that Wormtail could've done this successfully. Do you know what Severus did with the jar?" Aberforth asked Harry. He, in return, shrugged.

"After he gave me detention, he took the jar and left," he answered.

"Right. Well, I will talk to him about it," Aberforth replied. "Now, Mr. Potter, I believe you have a detention to get to?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe everyone's gone up to bed already," Hermione commented, flipping through her Transfiguration notes to make sure she hadn't left anything out.

"WHY does Snape have to torture us every single time?" Ron said as an answer. "I mean, OK. I can get that Wormwood and Nettletail don't mix. But why would it explode when combined with Unicorn Horn?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and got up off the floor to join Ron on the couch.

"BECAUSE," she started, as if this should be common knowledge to every single human, "when combined with Unicorn Horn, the Commutatus Potion turns a purplish color, emitting a foul odor, which in turn can be fatal to the body, AND not to mention cause brain damage. But if you DON'T add Unicorn Horn, the Potion turns a pale green, like it's supposed to. You also don't get the odor, just steam," she finished triumphantly, looking at Ron to see if he comprehended.

"'Mione, you lost me at 'when combined with Unicorn Horn'," he answered blankly.

"Ugh. Ron Weasley, you can be so thick-headed sometimes," she said.

"I know. But you love me anyway," he replied, grinning. She shook her head but smiled and was about to get up when he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back down.

"Ron, what are you..." she was silenced by his lips pushing against hers. She was surprised, but then kissed him back. As she closed her eyes, an image of Harry popped into her mind. Harry, grinning at her. Harry, pulling her toward him. Harry asking her to sleep next to him so he'd know she was safe. Beautiful, sweet, Harry...

She suddenly pulled back, causing a worried frown to play across Ron's face. She smiled to let him know nothing was wrong. The expression eased. He leaned in, but at that moment, the portrait hole opened and Lavender Brown stepped in, her eyes puffy and swollen.

"Lavender! What's wrong?" Hermione jumped up from her seat and rushed to Lavender's side.

"Maria. She - she was moved to Intensive Care today," Lavender managed to get out between sniffles.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry," Hermione said, hugging the girl to comfort her while she cried on her shoulder. Hermione glanced at Ron and saw that he had a deeply worried expression on his face. She turned her attention back to Lavender.

"Come on. Over here." Hermione guided her sobbing friend over to the couch and sat her down. Ron handed her his handkerchief.

"Thanks, Ron," she said, smiling a little through her tears as she wiped her eyes. Ron felt horrible. He wished there was some way he could comfort her, but Hermione already seemed to be there. So Ron opted for putting his arm around her shoulder. She looked up from the kerchief, and as Ron's eyes met hers, everything around him seemed to fade away. The fire, the doors, the stairs, even Hermione. That's strange, he thought, but that seemed to fade away too. It was only he and the pretty girl before him, in a world of haze where nothing else mattered.

Ron blinked and everything slammed back into its place. Hermione was calling his name, and Lavender's face was buried in the piece of cloth once more.

"Ron! Can you go get a handkerchief?" she asked, looking at him with curiously.

"Sure," he answered softly and rushed off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You know what I noticed?" Harry said, looking up from his powdered Toya roots.

"What?" Ron asked, concentrating on picking the right leaves for the thick potion already brewing before them in the cauldron.

"Snape is never going to give us a break, is he?" he grumbled, glaring at Snape, who was too busy to notice because he was bullying Neville Longbottom.

"P-P-Professor Snape, I swear I didn't mean for more than two leaves to fall in! Crabbe pushed me!" Neville fearfully stuttered, pointing behind him with a shaking finger, where the big as ever Crabbe was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Mr. Longbottom, do you think you can simply place the blame of your immensely stupid mistake on someone else?" Snape retorted in a calm voice. "That is EXACTLY the kind of thing that will get your house points deducted in a situation, such as this one. Thirty points." With that, he stalked down to where Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode, a Slytherin girl with a face like a cement block, were glaring at each other, each girl on one corner of the table.

"Well, if you had ground the beetles properly, Millicent, maybe we could have saved all that unnecessary trouble you caused," Hermione snapped. Millicent opened her mouth to retaliate, but as Snape approached them, shut it quickly and turned back to her ground beetles.

"Ms. Granger, I placed you and a Slytherin student together in hopes of you two getting along. But obviously, your big mouth is getting in the way of that. Thirty points from Gryffindor," he said smoothly before moving on toward his desk.

"That's not fair!" Ron suddenly burst out, unable to contain it any longer. Snape turned around to bore his eyes into Ron, one eyebrow raised in surprise.

"What's not fair, Weasley?" he spat, striding back over to where Ron was fuming.

"You can't just do that! Crabbe really did elbow Neville, and you didn't punish him! And Millicent probably didn't grind her beetles right. Hermione was just pointing that out. You only punish Gryffindors!" Ron exclaimed. Snape remained silent, a smirk pulling at the corners of his thin lips.

"Mr. Weasley, I believe you have just demonstrated a very simple Defense Against The Dark Arts ability," Snape finally commended, much to Ron's surprise.

"I-I did?" Ron sputtered.

"Very much so. However, this is Potions class, if I remember correctly. And no matter what class it is, you MUST have been taught to respect your elders," Snape said. "And since you obviously don't have the capacity to catch on quickly, twenty points from Gryffindor and a detention with yours truly tonight." He glanced at Ron a moment more, then strode back to his desk.

"What... but..." Ron was too angry to form complete sentences.

"Ron," Harry cautioned, "don't push it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At dinner, everyone stuffed their faces, as they were famished from the day's grueling lessons. Students were chattering about different events, as were the teachers up at the staff table, grinning (or in Snape's case, nodding) to each other and drinking from their golden goblets.

"Seamus, are you OK?" Dean asked, trying not to laugh at his friend.

"For the thousandth time, I'm FINE! JUST because my head and eyebrows are smoking, everyone thinks I'm sick or something!" he exclaimed.

This was it. Dean, Neville, and even Harry, who had been listening to Ron rant, heard this and exploded with laughter.

"Oh, HONESTLY. Leave him alone!" Hermione reprimanded. "You're fifth years! You should know better. You know, this would be a perfect opportunity for me to live up to my prefect duties and deduct some house points." The boys stopped at once. After Potions that afternoon, it seemed like if they lost any more house points, they'd be in the negative range.

Hermione glanced at Ron over the jug of pumpkin juice and frowned.

"Come on, Ron. It's not that bad. And you know, its not like you're a stranger to this," she said in a comforting tone.

"Snape's a git," was all Ron said as he took a huge bite out of his turkey leg.

"Ron, Hermione's right. I mean, if you relax, maybe Snape will go easier on you than he was originally planning to. He's at his worst when provoked," Harry agreed. Ron took a deep breath and sighed, "Yeah. You're right."

After dinner (and a lot of calming Ron down as he kept getting mad every time he glanced at Snape), Hermione went back to the Gryffindor common room and Harry dropped Ron off at the dungeons.

"Good luck, mate," Harry wished as they got to the door. Ron grumbled something incoherent as they went in.

"Well, Mr. Weasley, at least you're punctual, if not attentive," Snape coolly commented as he ruffled papers on his desk. Ron tensed, and Harry put a hand on his shoulder. He felt Ron's muscles relax under it. With a "Bye, Ron. Remain calm," Harry quietly sneaked out of the arctic classroom and headed towards the warm Gryffindor room. When he slipped in ("Pimply Pumpkin Juice"), he felt his body thaw instantly. He sighed in comfort and headed straight to his dorm room, where he quickly but quietly changed into a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, and brushed his teeth. He was about to slip underneath the warm covers when there was a soft knock at the door.

Who is that? Harry thought as he tiptoed to the door. He slowly pulled it open to reveal Hermione wearing a nightgown, her hands on the straps at the waist, and her hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

"What, Hermione? Its late," Harry whispered fiercely.

"I can't sleep," she whispered back. "Let's talk."

Harry ran back to his bed, grabbed the red dressing gown lying there that he had gotten from the Prefects' Bathroom, and slowly walked back to the door, swinging it shut behind him.

"Come on. I want to show you something," she said, grabbing his hand. She led him down the stairs and to the wall on the right in the common room. They walked beyond the armchairs and tables, and came to a stop at the solid wall.

"Treacle Tarts," she whispered. Suddenly, a beautiful portrait of a green meadow, the green grass swaying gently in the wind underneath a forget-me-not blue sky with fluffy white clouds appeared on the wall. Harry gaped, utterly shocked.

"Welcome, Ms. Granger," a woman who looked mid-twenties, wearing a crisp white shirt tucked into black pants that went into knee-high black boots, greeted with a grin as she walked into the picture from the left side.

"Hey, Penelope. This is Harry, the other prefect," she pointed to Harry, who was still gaping.

"Hello, Harry Potter! Welcome!" a stout man with flowing purple robes and a matching hat joined the girl, also grinning.

"H-hello," Harry finally said.

"You may enter. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Penelope piped as the portrait swung open to one side, revealing a marvelous room. Harry stood rooted to the spot.

"Oh, shut up, Penelope," she said, small spots of pale pink appearing on her cheeks. Then, she glanced at Harry and laughed even more.

"Well, come on Harry! Don't just stand there!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room.

It was a sight to behold. There was a plush red and gold carpet on the floor, the rampant Gryffindor lion embroidered into the middle. Two two-seater couches were set around it, one across from the huge fireplace and one to the right of it. Gryffindor banners hung on the walls, the crackling flames bouncing off the red and gold and making the lions seem like they were moving.

"This," said Hermione, "is the Gryffindor Prefects' Common Room." Harry stood, taking all of this in.

"How come you never told me about this?" he finally formed a coherent sentence.

"Because you've been so busy these past few days. I didn't know when to approach you," she answered simply, walking over to the spiraling stairs up ahead. She stopped when she realized Harry wasn't following.

"Let's GO, Potter!" she exclaimed, ran back to him, and yanked on his arm once more. That got him moving. They sprinted up the stairs and came to two side-by-side doors. Both had their names written in gold, looping letters across the middle.

"And THESE are our dormitories," Hermione announced.

"Just ours?" he asked, tracing his finger along the letters which spelled out his name.

"Just ours," she repeated. Harry pushed the door open and stepped inside. It looked the same as the other dorms, except this room had more space and only one larger bed. It had a rectangular red banner with the Gryffindor seal sewn into it in gold. The bed, which was perfectly made, had gold pillows and gold sheets, with a thick red comforter. A desk sat on the right side of the room with parchment, quills, and an inkbottle settled on top neatly.

"Wow," Harry whispered as he ventured deeper into the room. He walked up to the bed and ran a hand over the smooth comforter, warmth spreading underneath his fingers as he did so. The house-elves, he thought to himself. He went to the side and plopped down, feeling the wonderful feeling of the warmth coursing through him.

"Harry," Hermione broke the silence. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," he answered, patting the space next to him. She walked over and sat in the offered space.

"Why did Snape give you detention the other day? Really?" she asked, looking directly at him. Harry swallowed.

"Um, I told you, 'Mione. I spilled a potion, and it mixed with this other potion, and it was in front of SNAPE," he replied, almost forgetting the excuse he had made up for it.

"Oh, come off it, Harry. You don't seriously expect me to believe that?" she snapped. "What's the real reason? It's me, Hermione. You can tell me," she said, softer this time, placing her hand over his on the bed. Harry hesitated, then realized that she was right. It was not like she was going to go blab it to Hogwarts. So, with a deep breath, he told her about how he had found Wormtail in his trunk, what he had done to the rat, and how Snape had gotten involved. When he finished, Hermione stayed silent, just staring at him.

"Well, say something!" he exclaimed, staring back at her.

"Harry, why didn't you tell me before?" she finally asked.

"Because! Because I didn't want you to keep flitting around and worrying about it. For all I know, Wormtail is locked up in a jar. And Snape doesn't like rats anyway. I didn't want you to worry," he explained, looking down. She put her hand under his chin and lifted it up to meet her face.

"If I worry, that means I'm trying to keep you safe," she whispered. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Ever." He pulled her into a hug, which she gladly leaned into. They pulled back and she leaned against him, her back against his chest. He placed his arms around her waist and they sat in silence. Then, Hermione heaved a sigh.

"What?" he asked gently.

"Ron's been acting strange lately," she commented, tracing patterns on his left knee.

"What d'you mean?" he asked, wondering whether he should mention the incidents with Lavender.

"I don't know. I-I mean, I heard him tell you that Lavender kissed him. And yesterday when her Muggle friend was moved to Intensive Care, she came in crying and Ron had this..." she paused, searching for the right word. "This CRUSHED expression on his face. As if he's the one who'd been hurt. And so I took her over to the couch and we sat, and he put his arm around her shoulder. And I asked him to get her a handkerchief, but then it was like he zoned out. He kept staring at Lavender, and she was staring back. I had to call his name at least ten times before he responded. Is something going on between them?" she asked, turning her neck to look at Harry.

Harry didn't know what to do. Well, technically, Ron didn't tell me not to tell Hermione. And she's hurting. She has a right to know. He's her boyfriend, Harry reasoned with himself. Finally, he told Hermione everything Ron had told him about Lavender.

"Oh," she said softly, sitting up straight. "So-so he fancies Lavender?" she asked, turning around completely to look at Harry.

"I-I honestly don't know, Hermione. I can't figure that out. He didn't tell me anything like that. I..." he stopped as Hermione's face was stained when a single tear dropped from her cheek onto her hand.

"No, no. 'Mione, don't cry," Harry pleaded. She sniffled and wiped the tear away. Another followed slowly. Harry scooted closer and lifted her chin up with his hand, wiping the tear away.

"'Mione, please don't cry. Then, I'll start crying," he warned. She smiled a bit.

"I'm sorry about Ron. But you don't know he fancies Lavender. So until you can prove that, you can't be mad at him," Harry cautioned. She shrugged and wiped her cheeks one more time.

"I guess. Its just that…I don’t know if I like him so much anymore either," she answered flatly. Momentarily fazed by her answer, Harry moved to her side and she put her head on his shoulder. He put his head on top of hers, storing that away for later.

"Are you OK?" he asked, lifting his head up and looking directly at her.

"I will be," she answered.

"Besides," Harry shrugged, "if Ron DOES hurt you, I'll kill him before you can do anything." Hermione laughed.

"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because. I would never let anyone hurt you," he said softly. She put her hand on his cheek. Then, she slowly leaned in and kissed him. He kissed back with just as much force. She reluctantly broke the kiss. Fighting for breath, both looked at each other before Harry toppled her over so he was on top. She laughed.

"Hey, if I get hurt, you're not living up to your promise," she said before his lips attacked hers again. She entwined her hands in his hair while his hands busied themselves running up and down her back slowly. She pushed the thick dressing gown off his shoulder. He lifted his arms enough for her to rip it off and throw it on the floor, before his arms were traveling over her back again. She opened her mouth under his, and his tongue explored every crevice. The chocolate taste made him take in a sharp breath. She pulled away and looked in his eyes.

"'Harry, wait..." Harry started, actually about to protest.

"Ssh." He placed a finger on her lips, then replaced it with his mouth again. Hermione reluctantly accepted and forged on. He slipped away from her soft lips down to her neck. His hands slid across her shoulders, shaking off the nightgown. It joined his on the floor.


He traveled further down, the contact releasing a flood of sensations. Moans burst from her throat. He kissed just beneath her breasts, then continued down to her flat stomach, where he planted butterfly kisses as well. She arched her back as his fingers found the groove between her inner thighs.

Her heartbeat became faster by the millisecond. The rhythm drew him on, beating from deep inside of her. She heard heavy raindrops pelt the window, but it seemed very distant. Hermione wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't make herself say the words. She knew this was utterly wrong. She was with Ron. She felt the heap of guilt land squarely on her heart. She was not supposed to do this. At the same moment, Harry paused and brought his hands up on either side of her to support himself. He looked at her, fear in his emerald eyes.

"I'm still going out with Ron. I can't do this. WE. We can't do this," she said in a quavering voice, straightening up as best as she could as a distraction to herself. She sat up and Harry leaned back on his knees to give her room.

"I was just about to say the same thing," he said. She nodded in acknowledgement and glanced at the window.

"Wow. It's raining," he commented. She saw Harry yawn and couldn't stifle one of her own. They looked at each other and laughed.

"The yawning chain," he said, and they laughed again.

"Well, it is - " she grabbed his wrist and glanced at the Muggle watch charmed to work in the Hogwarts environment. "- 11:30 at night. You can't blame me!" she replied and fell backwards onto the pillows.

"These pillows are so soft! I don't have pillows as soft as these! Mr. Potter, I believe there is favoritism happening here," she said, grinning.

"Hey, can I help it? I'M the Boy Who Lived!" he lay down next to her.

"You're right!" he agreed.

"As always," she answered, lifting her chin in the air defiantly.

"Don't get cocky," he laughed and pulled her chin back down. She leaned in to kiss him one more time, a soft, lingering kiss, then smiled and turned onto her other side, closing her eyes as she felt Harry curl up against her. She drifted off into a deep slumber, the smile not wavering.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron switched the Wolfsbane into a fresh jar, then lifted his wand and muttered, "Expurgo Circumiectus", a spell that Snape had taught him to clean and sanitize the jar. He watched with a revolted expression as the germs in the jar came into view, then vanished just as instantly. He sighed and placed the jar with the other clean ones.

"Twelve done, twenty-eight more to go," he counted out loud. He picked up another jar containing a rabbit's foot. Just then, he heard a creak at the door. Assuming it was Snape, he didn't look up in fear that it would cause him ten more detentions. After a few seconds, Snape's harsh voice did not come. Ron tentatively looked up and saw that no one was there, but the door was slightly ajar. Huh. I KNOW it wasn't like that a minute ago, he thought to himself, frowning. He slowly placed the jar down and, wand poised in front of him, slowly walked to the door.

"Who's there?" he asked, voice shaky. He took a deep breath and repeated, "Who's there?" in a louder, steadier voice. No one answered. Suddenly, he heard a soft whoosh behind him. Startled, he turned around to see Lavender Brown standing there with a shimmering cloth and a grin.

"Lavender!" he gasped, letting out a sigh of relief. "You scared me! How'd you get in here?"

"You didn't think Harry Potter was the only one at Hogwarts with an Invisibility Cloak, did you?" he asked coyly, lifting up the material with an index finger. He smiled and walked past her to the jars.

"How'd you know I was here?" he asked, picking up the jar he had placed down.

"I heard you grumbling to Harry," she said, walking over to the table. "And since you're my friend, I thought I'd come see how you're doing..." she looked around at the jars. "Or if you needed help. Looks like you don't," she finished.

"Well, I'm happy at least I get to use my wand to clean these things. In Second Year, I had to clean all the trophies by HAND. And since I had that slug spell on me, I threw up on a trophy and I had to scrub for a half hour before the slime came off," he told her, smiling a little. She laughed, a sound that made a shiver run up Ron's spine and jolt his brain.

"Well, here, I'll help." She reached for a jar, but he swiftly caught her wrist. A jolt went up her hand, and he looked at her. She widened her eyes and pulled away.

"Don't. If Snape catches you, you'll be in a lot of trouble," he warned, not taking his eyes off her. She slowly nodded. After a few minutes of silence, and a lot of cleaning, Ron's arm was sore. He sat down in a chair nearby and groaned, rubbing his arm.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"My arm's sore." He cursed Snape under his breath as he massaged his arm gingerly.

"Here. Let me help," she said, grabbing his hand, which sent another jolt through it.

"Why?" he asked.

"What d'you mean, WHY?" she replied as she searched for her wand.

"I mean, why do you all of a sudden want to help me?" he elaborated.

"Because, Ron," she replied, looking into his eyes. The rich pools of blue made her feel like she never wanted to turn away. And there was that feeling. The feeling that she had tried to avoid, but couldn't. The feeling that the Earth dropped off and no one was left but she and he, the two of them, together.

"Because," she started again, forcing herself to look at her wand, "you're my friend, and I care for you. Plus, I'm returning a favor."

"A favor?" he repeated.

"Remember when I was crying because Maria was moved to Intensive Care? You were there for me," she replied simply.

"So was Hermione," Ron said.

"Yes, but you being there made me feel... protected. Safe," she explained in a soft voice. While Ron absorbed this, she raised her wand to his hand while holding his palm. "Ulcero Meliusculus," she intoned, and Ron felt a tingling sensation in his arm and, after a second, it felt a hundred percent better.

"Thanks," he managed to get out. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Anytime," she answered, putting her wand away. After a minute of quiet, Ron cracked it by saying, "How's your friend?"

"She's still in critical condition. I can't believe it. I mean, if she dies, I don't know what I'd do. I've known her my whole life," Lavender replied, her vision blurring. Oh, suck it up. You can't cry for everything, she scolded herself, and angrily blinked back the tears, shaking her head.

"Its OK to cry, you know," Ron said, leaning forward, as if reading her mind. She glanced up at him, and the tears escaped slowly, one by one.

"Ssh," Ron gathered her to him while she cried softly into his chest. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back, desperate to make her feel better. She pulled back and looked at him.

"Thanks for being here for me, Ron," she whispered, wiping her cheeks of her final tears.

"I’ll always be there for you," he whispered back, then leaned in to kiss her, hoping that this would make her feel better. It sure helped for him.

Lavender felt the breath knocked out of her. She didn't know how to respond to this sudden development. She had liked Ron since the beginning of fifth year, but when him and Hermione had started going out, she had been crushed. Now, here he was. Kissing her in Snape's classroom. She didn't know whether this was right, to be kissing her friend's boyfriend. He is a good kisser, though… her brain contemplated. She let out the painful breath she had been holding and, placing a hand on the back of his head, kissed him back.

Unlike Lavender, whose brain was contemplating, Ron's brain flat out screamed, Hermione! His eyes flew open at this, and also because Lavender's hand was softly running through his hair. What's going on? his brain asked desperately. I'm kissing Lavender. And...I'm enjoying it. A LOT, he answered his brain, knowing he was right. He relaxed and moved his hands from her cheeks to the small of her back, gently massaging it. She sighed, almost inaudibly, and kissed him even deeper. He scooted closer and drew his arms around her waist more tightly. She welcomed it and nestled into his arms, lowering her hands to his broad shoulders.

Suddenly, Ron heard footsteps approaching very fast to the door. He quickly pulled back, completely out of breath, and looked at Lavender. Her eyes unwavering, her breath coming in short gasps, she stared right back. She slowly removed her hands from Ron's sturdy shoulders, not breaking the eye contact.

"Someone's coming," Ron said hoarsely, swallowing. She only nodded and stood up, Ron following. Before she threw on her Invisibility Cloak, however, she reached up and quickly kissed him on the cheek. Then, she was gone. Ron smiled bashfully, then rushed over to the desk and picked up a jar containing Nettletail and raised his wand to it, trying to make it seem like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Snape walked in quickly, surveyed the surroundings and glanced at Ron, muttered, "Glad to see you haven't brought the place down in ruins, Weasley. I'll be back in ten minutes," and left.

Ron acknowledged with only a nod, then went back to the jars, now only one solid thought weighing on his mind: He couldn't hide it anymore. He HAD to talk to Hermione.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday morning found Ron, Hermione and Harry in the Great Hall, Ron poring through his homework and filling in his last-minute answers, Hermione reading and rereading her notes and books for the day, and Harry helping Ron while listening to Hermione recite random facts out loud. He had been uncomfortable all week, Ron on one side of him and Ron's girlfriend, whom Harry had made out with, on the other. Ron seemed to be avoiding Hermione all of a sudden, and when she asked Harry about it, he honestly replied that he didn't know. She told him she was going to hex it out of him if she had to, and Harry didn't doubt for one minute that she wouldn't.

As the bell rang, they hurried off to Defense Against The Dark Arts. As soon as Harry entered, he noticed Draco Malfoy glaring at him. Harry frowned back, and Malfoy's head quickly turned back to Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. Harry rolled his eyes and followed Ron and Hermione to the front of the class and sat down, looking back at Malfoy one more time before Ron averted his attention.

"Welcome to another Monday of what I'm sure is your favorite class!" Professor Lupin emerged with this statement, startling most of the students before their heads hit the desk. Harry did his best to stifle a yawn as he pulled out some parchment and a quill. Ron, however, was not as successful.

Harry felt a prickling feeling on the back of his neck, which usually meant that someone was staring at him. He quickly turned around to look at Malfoy, who was leaning his chair back on its hind legs and casually glancing up at the teacher. Harry scowled, mostly to himself, and turned back.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione whispered, not diverting her eyes from the front of the classroom.

"Nothing. I just feel like someone's staring at me. Its fine," he muttered and looked down at his parchment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco Malfoy had always been stealthy. Why, subtlety was his middle name! He had been taught very early on by his infamous father to be careful when on a mission. All missions were important, especially the ones carried out for the Dark Lord. And as Draco would be receiving his Dark Mark on the night of the Spring Solstice, he needed this to go well. So his father wouldn't beat him more than he usually did. Or put the Cruciatus Curse on him.

When Potter had walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts that morning, Draco had followed him with his eyes, making sure he looked like he didn't care. And although Potter had turned around once to frown at him, Draco had simply pasted on his signature smirk, and Potter had been on his way. Yes, Draco Malfoy had a way with things.

"Draco!" a voice whined in his ear. He winced slightly and turned to see none other than Pansy Parkinson, with her sidekick Millicent Bulstrode, waving frenetically to him, a huge grin on her pug - like face. Draco raised his hand, then scowled visibly (this caused Pansy's grin to falter significantly), and looked down at his parchment, keeping an eye on Potter all the while. Lupin emerged in front of the class and started blabbing about other dark curses besides the three they had learned about in the fourth year, and Draco, as usual, tuned him out. He was well versed in this already, and didn't see the need to listen to him to learn it.

Instead, he trained his ears towards the Golden Trio (as he had taken to calling them), and, since they were sitting in front of him, it was a little easier than he expected. What with Weasley whispering so loudly, Draco was able to catch little snippets of their conversation before Granger or Potter warned him to turn it down.

"Aberforth... Wormtail... gotten in HERE... Voldemort... new plan," he heard. He frowned and quickly scribbled this down on the parchment in front of him, his mind working quickly to make sense of this. Who in the hell is Aberforth? he wondered, chewing on the end of his quill. As a result, he got a few feathers in his mouth, which nearly made him gag. He ducked under the table and, with a revolted face, removed them quickly before resurfacing.

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy!" Lupin's voice called. His head snapped up.

"Yes, Professor?" Draco asked in a kind voice that was feigned.

"Can YOU tell us what the Detorqueo Curse does?" Lupin asked in a firm but gentle voice.

"The Detorqueo Curse twists the person's body and mind at the same time beyond repair," Draco answered smoothly. Lupin looked a bit surprised, but nodded, said, "Five points for Slytherin", and moved on to explain HOW the curse did what it did. Draco smirked to himself. He wasn't a Malfoy for nothing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Severus, I was wondering if I could have a word with you." Snape looked up from the essays he was grading and looked into the unnaturally blue eyes of Dumbledore. But something was different. Snape blinked, and realized that it was not Albus, but his almost identical brother Aberforth. Snape placed the quill down and stood up.

"Whatever about, Aberforth?" he asked, coming around to the front so he stood in front of the old man.

"Harry Potter." Snape stiffened. What was going on? Had something happened to Potter?

"What about him?" he asked in a completely neutral voice.

"Well, if I understand what the boy told me correctly, you gave him a detention Thursday night because he threw a rat out the window onto your head. Is this true?" Aberforth asked.

"Correct," Snape replied curtly. He leaned casually against his desk, crossing his arms.

"But it was accidental?" Aberforth prompted.

"One could say that," Snape shrugged.

"Very well. Where is the rat now, Severus?" Aberforth asked.

"Well, Aberforth, as I am not a fan of rats, I obviously threw it out," Snape replied with an edge to his voice, wondering where this was going.

"I see. Did Harry tell you that the rat was Peter Pettigrew?" Aberforth questioned. Snape stood up straight.

"Yes, he did. But, evidently, the filthy thing was not Wormtail. There was no silver paw. Potter used that as an excuse to get out of detention," Snape pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong, Severus," Aberforth replied calmly. "For the rat really WAS Wormtail. It seems he had shown up at Hogwarts during Christmas Holidays as well as that day. Harry was right. He found Peter in his trunk, and threw him out the window hoping he'd get hurt in the fall."

Snape couldn't form any words. He definitely had NOT seen this coming. He had remembered the rat from the Christmas dinner, but he had dismissed it.

"Don't worry. He'll be back. Pests don't go away easily," Aberforth assured darkly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next Hogsmeade weekend was coming up, and all of the Hogwarts students (Third Years and up) were planning out their day.

"All right. I've drawn up schedules for the O.W.L's. Harry..." she held out a sheet of parchment with a grid on it and the words inside each box in different colors. Harry reluctantly reached out and took it. He looked at it, and the words began to swim on the page in front of his eyes. He could not focus on it at all.

"Hermione! COME ON! You CAN'T be serious! I mean, we're going to Hogsmeade in two days! We can't STUDY Friday night when we're going out Saturday!" Ron exclaimed as he reached out and took his schedule.

"Ron, just because you get to go on a field trip does NOT mean that you can't still be prepared for the O.W.L's," Hermione said, not looking up from shuffling papers.

"I can't believe it," he muttered and stuffed the sheet randomly into one of his textbooks.

"Pull it out, Ron," Hermione said, still busy with the papers. Ron stared in disbelief at Harry, who shrugged.

"How did you know..." Ron started.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what Ron Weasley does with a study sheet," Hermione cut him off, now scribbling on a fresh sheet of parchment fast.

"I've said it once, but I'll say it again: You can be really scary sometimes, you know that?" Ron replied, slowly pulling the sheet from his Charms textbook.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Saturday rolled around bright and sunny, but with a hint of winter still in the air. Neville, who kept yelling, "I have a date! I have a date!" woke Harry up at nine in the morning, for which he was not happy about.

"For god sake, Neville!" he exclaimed loudly. Neville stopped in mid-jump around the dorms and stared at Harry with a perplexed look on his face.

"We. Get. It," Harry said slowly. "You have a date. With Padma. The same girl who kissed you at the Ball. Now, let it go. Why isn't anyone else bothered by this?" He stood up and walked around to the other beds to find it empty.

"Ron went to meet a friend. Dean and Seamus went down to breakfast," Neville answered a little shakily. Harry sighed and turned around to face Neville, who was standing still now.

"I'm sorry, Neville. I didn't mean to burst out at you like that," Harry apologized, heading to the bathroom.

"It's all right, Harry. I understand. Seamus was imitating me with what I had said about the Ball over and over again, and I got so pissed off," Neville replied, smiling. Harry grinned back.

"So, you think you're going to get kissed today, too?" Harry asked, opening the door to the bathroom, then closing it. Instead, he headed to the door to go to the Prefect's' bathroom.

Neville blushed. "I hope so," me muttered, looking at his feet. Harry laughed and headed to the Prefects' Bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and stepped into what turned out to be a nice, relaxing shower. He heard the door open, but didn't bother to see who it was.

"It'll take more than half an hour to wash off the filth YOU have, Potter." This biting remark made Harry open the shower door a crack to peek out. Draco Malfoy was working the ties to his green and white Slytherin dressing gown with a sneer in Harry's direction.

"Malfoy? Prefect? That figures. Daddy probably helped with that, too," Harry replied nastily and shut the door again, immersing himself in the shower. He heard Malfoy growl in a low voice, and smiled to himself, satisfied.

"Unlike you or your friends, I have a pureblood Daddy with money who can help me. That's more than I can say for Weasel, you, OR Granger," Malfoy shot back.

Harry calmly stepped out of the shower to see Malfoy in the giant tub with about fifty different types of bubbles in it, leaning against the corner and smirking. He fastened his Gryffindor dressing gown and dried his wet hair with the towel in his hand.

"For your information, Malfoy, my father was a pureblood. Second, I have money. More than you know. And, being a pureblood doesn't make you special. Hermione's Muggle father is nicer than you or your father will ever be. Ron's father is pureblood, and they may not have much money, but they are great people. Which is more than I can say for you. So, in total, I say that us three combined are better off than one of you." With that, he strode to the door with a smirk, leaving behind a steaming Malfoy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Herbology went by faster than Harry would have liked. The slower Herbology went, the longer they had until Potions, and the sooner they had to face Snape or the Slytherins. Unfortunately, their study on the vicious- looking Bimembris plants sped by, and even though the nasty plants with the jagged, purplish teeth snapped its jaws at Harry every time he tried to feed it the calming potion, Harry missed it as he trudged with Ron and Hermione to Potions.

Ron's mind was churning up memories of the LAST time he had been in that classroom and he couldn't decide whether they were pleasant or unpleasant.

"Are you OK, mate?" Harry inquired concernedly. Ron looked up from the cover of his Potions text at Harry, who was looking at him intently.

"Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he replied absentmindedly and returned to staring at the book.

"You know, for someone who hates Potions with a passion, you sure like staring at the book a lot," Harry half-joked. When Ron didn't reply, only smiled, Harry turned back to Hermione, who had a quizzical look on her face.

They rushed into the dingy room right before the bell alerted everyone that classes had once again begun. Ron and Hermione quickly plopped into an empty seat in the back of the class and Harry sat next to Seamus.

"Snape's having a bad day," Seamus said out of the corner of his mouth.

"When does he not?" Harry whispered back, his eyes trained to the front of the room. He saw Seamus smile but reply, "More than usual. You should've seen poor Neville during Herbology. When I told him, he was shaking so much, the plant almost bit off one of his fingers."

"Figures," Harry siad, laughing inwardly. Suddenly, the door banged open behind him, but none of the students dared turn around, for the Potions master crossed the room in lengthy steps and stood in front of the class with his hands clasped and a deep scowl that made every line on his face accentuated. His dark eyes darted from student to student, corner to corner before they finally came to rest on Harry. Unwavering, Harry stared right back before Snape looked away and started speaking in a monotone voice.

"Today we will be discussing the Resilius Potion. This potion makes the taker shrink to an infinitesimal size for up to twenty-four hours before it wears off. We will prepare the potion in class, and your homework will be a two-foot long essay on what the good and bad effects of this on a person could be, which will be due tomorrow. You will find the ingredients and instructions on page 166 of your book. Get to work."

With that, he simply sat at his desk and began scribbling away. The students were silent.

"What are you waiting for?" Snape looked up from his papers and barked. This got them dashing from corner to corner, searching for the ingredients, then dashing back to their desks to complete the potion. Snape returned to his scribbling promptly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I am so exhausted, I could actually sleep soundly without dinner!" Ron exclaimed, slumping down on one of the plush chairs back in the Gryffindor common room.

"You mean, NOT EAT? That would be a record!" Hermione exclaimed, setting her books down carefully on the table and sitting primly in a similar adjacent chair.

"Ha ha ha," Ron replied dryly, shutting his eyes. Harry and Hermione exchanged amused looks. Then, she signaled to him that she had to talk to Ron. Harry nodded and said loudly, "Well, I think Dean needs me upstairs to show me something." Ron opened his eyes when Dean came up behind Harry and said, "No I don't! What are you talking about, Harry?"

Harry squeezed his eyes shut. That was a surprise. A surprise that ruined his so-called 'plan'. He turned to Dean after surveying the frown on Ron's face to glare at him. Dean apparently got the message, because he sheepishly grinned.

"Er, actually, I really do need to speak to Harry! To, um, explain a new rule about soccer that was just passed the other day! My mum told me about it. She told me she read it in a Muggle newspaper. So, Harry, since you know so much about this new rule, could you please explain it to me? Because I honestly don't understand it," Dean awkwardly covered. The frown did not move from Ron's face, but deepened.

"New rule? But Dean, didn't you say..." Ron started.

"Yeah, I did, Ron, but they did pass another one. I guess I'm not always right about soccer," Dean laughed nervously. "Please, Harry?"

"Sure," Harry nodded and, giving Ron a smile and Hermione a thumbs-up as he passed her by, left with Dean.

"They're insane," Ron commented, relaxing in his chair once more.

"Ron, can we talk?" Hermione started tentatively. His eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright.

"What about, 'Mione?" he asked nervously, turning in the chair so he faced her.

"Well, we've been really distant toward each other," she began. "And... well, what's going on with you? You seem so preoccupied lately, and it's just weird."

Ron had been dreading this. He knew he had to talk to her. He just didn't want to. But he absolutely had to. He didn't want to hurt Hermione, but things weren't always dandy.

"Do you want the truth?" he asked with a deep breath. She nodded and he saw a brief second of anxiety passing in her eyes before they became passive again.

"I thought you would," he muttered. "Um, well, you know how Snape gave me detention?" he asked. She nodded again.

"Well, that night, I was just cleaning the jars - which is what he had asked me to do - and Lavender came for a visit," he said in a rush. Hermione stirred.

"She has an Invisibility Cloak. That's why I didn't know she was there at first. And we started talking, and..." he hesitated.

"And what?" she asked, leaning forward.

"And then she kissed me," he blurted out in one breath. Hermione sat up stick straight, her face blank.

"She kissed you?" she repeated, a hint of anger in her voice. Ron shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah," he answered, squirming.

"Oh," was all she said, staring at the wall beyond Ron. She seemed to be thinking very deeply.

"'Mione?" Ron tried carefully after a few minutes of silence. She blinked and looked right at him.

"Ron, I have something to confess as well," she said quietly.

"What?" he asked, frowning.

"I... Harry and I kissed," she answered, her voice still quiet, looking at her hands the whole time.

"You kissed HARRY? HARRY POTTER?" Ron had to make sure he had heard correctly.

"It was an accident!" she said hotly, looking up. "Don't start accusing me, Ron Weasley! YOU also kissed someone behind my back! TWICE!"

"Twice? What are you talking about?" he asked, standing up.

"Oh get off it, Ron! You very well know what I'm talking about!" she snapped, following suit and standing up. "During winter holidays, when you used the fireplace to talk to us, and told Harry you kissed Lavender!"

"You-you knew about that?" he stammered, taken aback.

"Yeah, I knew. Being smart really helps. Especially when you told him. I was right behind him!" she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"If I remember correctly, I said 'Lavender kissed me!' I didn't say ANYTHING about kissing her back!" he exclaimed.

"Well, you sure as hell didn't say anything about protesting!" she retaliated. "Remember that day when she came crying? I asked you to get a handkerchief, and you didn't even react. You were staring at her with a..." she paused, groping around for the right word, "SMITTEN look on your face. Like nothing else in the world mattered to you. I know the look well, and I've never seen you look at me like that." This was a bit quieter. "She was looking at you the same way." She sighed.

"You like Lavender. Its as plain as day. Why didn't you SAY anything about it?" she asked, not angry but sad.

"Because, Hermione! Come on! You're my girlfriend! There's nothing I could do to hurt you!" he responded, sitting back down.

"Trust me, Ron. You two kissing hurt me a lot more than you mentioning it would have," she answered softly.

"I'm sorry," he muttered after a few seconds of quiet.

"Don't apologize. You're in love," she simply replied. His head snapped up at this last statement.

"What did you say?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"I said you're in love. With Lavender. It's obvious. I just wish you had said something," she said. He sighed and looked down at the embroidered carpet.

"Ron," she said after what seemed like a very long and awkward pause.

"What?" he asked.

"You and Lavender are meant to be together. I can't get in the middle of that. Be with her. I want you to be happy." Then, she stood up and walked out of the room.

She thought she would feel relieved. Free. She was only holding him back from being with the girl he loved.

So why didn't she feel relieved?

To tell the truth, she DID feel quite a bit relieved. But there was also a sadness in her that hadn't been there before. She supposed it came along with any breakup.

"Hey, you OK?" a concerned voice inquired. She felt a warm presence, probably attached to the deep voice, sit next to her, shoulder to shoulder.

She sighed deeply. "Its over," she curtly replied. He followed her sigh up with one of his own.

"Well, it's a good thing. I mean, you both were probably just torturing each other inwardly," he answered softly. She only nodded, for she knew this was true.

"I'm just feeling depressed. I-I don't know. Does that always come after a breakup?" she wondered out loud.

"Well, I wouldn't know from personal experience, but I've been around enough people to tell that it usually does, especially if that person like the other a whole lot," he explained.

"I did. As a friend. I realized that AFTER he asked me out." She laughed. "I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not." He touched her arm lightly, causing goosebumps to appear on it. She involuntarily shivered, wondering how he managed to do that.

"You're just human. There's nothing wrong with that. You got hurt. It happens. You're strong. You'll get through this," he said in a comforting voice. She put her head on his shoulder, and he placed his on top.

"Harry," she laughed. "You don't HAVE to say that. I'm happy for Ron," she said. "I really am. But that was so pointless. He liked Lavender the whole time."

"'Mione, you don't know he didn't like you too," he pointed out gently.

"Not like that," she agreed. "It was the SAME, except with a new title slapped on it," she muttered. "I'm just depressed. I'll get over it. And it doesn't even matter. I liked someone else," she let out.

"Who?" his voice had a surprised tone.

"You'll find out when the time is right," she said softly in his ear.

"Hermione!" he stood up along with her.

"Harry," she laughed, "Don't worry about it. Or about me. I'll be OK." She reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek before disappearing into the common room once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hogsmeade Saturday rolled around. Harry woke up at six in the morning from a strange dream about Dudley becoming so big that he rolled over in his sleep and fell on Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who then screamed and gurgled. He tried to go back to sleep, decided that he couldn't and wandered down to the brightly-lit common room in the chilly air of early morning. He sat directly in front of the fire and stuck his hands out, trying to warm them.

"What are you doing up so early, Harry?" He turned around to see Hermione with a surprised mixed with concerned look on her face as she wrapped her thick nightgown tighter around her. She situated herself to the left of Harry, imitating him as she held out her hands to the fireplace.

"I had a strange dream and I couldn’t go back to sleep. You?" he asked.

"Parvati's Rememberall woke me up. It kept screeching in her trunk, and it didn't help that her bed was right next to mine. She kept mumbling in her sleep, too," she explained, smiling a little. Harry laughed.

"Any less depressed than before?" he asked, hoping she was.

"Significantly," she answered proudly, grinning.

"I'm glad," he replied, grinning back.

"Thanks to you. That little talk really helped," she added, softer this time.

"You know I'm there for you," he replied, just as soft. He placed his hand on top of hers. She nodded as their fingers entwined, and they stayed that way for a minute, lost in each other's eyes.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Want to see something?" she asked suddenly, a sparkle in her cinnamon eyes.

"What?" he asked carefully.

She ran up to her trunk quietly, retrieved her wand, and raced back downstairs.

"Ready?" she asked, aiming her wand at the ceiling.

"I... guess," he answered slowly, wondering what trick she had up her sleeve.

"Astrum Athrubius!" she intoned. When nothing happened, she sat down, seeming satisfied, and placed the wand on the center table.

"What's going on, Hermione?" Harry asked, bringing his eyes from the unaffected ceiling back to Hermione.

"Look up," she whispered. He did, and what he saw amazed him beyond words.
The ceiling was gone. Well, at least it seemed like it. In its place was the night sky, a million stars spread out across the blanket of blue expanse. In the corners, he could see the galaxies slowly rotating and sparkling as they did so, and the ceiling seemed to move, to spin, ever so much every minute. It was a bit like a Muggle planetarium that he had seen on television at the Dursleys’.

"Hermione," he said softly. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"I was in the library studying for the Charms quiz, and I came across it," she answered simply, staring at Harry. He looked so adorable, just sitting there, gazing upwards at the natural beauty over their heads. He looked like every worry was temporarily wiped from his mind.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered, also looking at it for the first time.

"You know what's a more comfortable way to see this?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing slightly. She laughed.

"What?" she asked. He lay down, parallel to the fireplace, placing his hands behind his head. She followed, still laughing.

"Now THAT'S magic," she commented, and they both burst out in a fresh fit of laughter.

She sighed. "I could stay like this forever," she said.

"So could I," he replied, but his focus wasn't on the ceiling anymore. He watched her as she watched the natural wonder up above, the flames dancing lightly across her porcelain skin and her silky hair, highlighting it different colors at once. He reached over and tucked a stray strand behind her ear, causing her to turn on her side to face him.

He propped his head on his hand and turned on his side to face her, who looked up at him with uncertainty in her chocolate eyes. Harry didn't say a word, just leaned in and kissed her, her soft lips making his mind spin.

She took in a sharp breath. Granted, this wasn't the first time this had happened to her, but somehow, it felt... special. She guessed it was because she wasn't linked to Ron while doing it.

He pulled back, breathless and flushed, a mirror image of her.

"That was..." she couldn't form the rest of it. He laughed.

"It was THAT bad?" he asked, a mock hurt expression on his face. Hermione was about to protest, but decided to play along.

"Eh, I've had better," she shrugged.

"Oh, really? With Ron, I suppose," he said in a flat tone, sighing.

"Not quite. I mean, no offense to your best friend, but he was nowhere close to Viktor Krum," she grinned wickedly. Harry gaped.

"Hang on. You're comparing me to Ron, who's worse than VIKTOR?" he exclaimed.

"In my experience," she answered calmly. "I mean, YOU have a lot of potential. You just... need the lessons."

"Lessons?" he raised one eyebrow.

"Definitely. Kindle the talent. You know what I mean?" she asked, grinning again.

"Really? And WHO is going to give me lessons?" he asked, bringing his hand, which had been supported by his elbow on the floor, back up to his head.

"I don't know. Go ask Dobby's girlfriend," she said, laughing.

"Dobby has a girlfriend?" Harry asked, surprised.

"OH! WINKY!" he realized, then laughed. "No offense, but I'd rather gouge my eyes out."

"That can be arranged," she replied coyly, running a finger down his cheek.

"Sure, but I was thinking more like YOU giving me lessons," he mused.

"For a price," she responded.

"Name it," he said. With that, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him intensely. He kissed back just as fiercely. She immediately pulled back, chest heaving, and said, "THAT... is the payment." He laughed and kissed her again, more playful this time. She laughed underneath his lips before he parted hers with his tongue. She accepted immediately as his tongue ran over her bottom lip, making her tighten her arms around his neck.

He moved downward form her lips to her neck, planting butterfly kisses there and making her sigh. He smiled before she pulled him back up and their lips made contact again. Their tongues fought with each other, against each other, a battle that had already been won.

She felt a thousand sensations explode inside her as he moved on top smoothly and ran one hand up her shirt slowly as the other ran up her back. He felt the shiver run up her spine, and ran a finger slowly down it, feeling the goosebumps appear. He kissed the other side of her neck, and she bent her head forward so that she was breathing in his ear. Now it was his turn with the gooseflesh. She kissed the spot just below his earlobe, making him tense up. She smiled and ran her hand below the collar of his dressing gown and outlined lazy circles on the spot below his neck, claiming his mouth once more. He readily gave in.

The portrait door opened. Harry abruptly pulled away, panting, and stood up, pulling Hermione up with him.

"Someone's coming," she managed to say between the short gasps of breath. He nodded and they both straightened each other out. Harry reached out to push a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. She kissed his palm and he leaned in and kissed her very quickly. They were OK, except for their breathing. They forced themselves to take deep breaths just as Ron Weasley walked in, looking dazed (to say the least) as he ran one hand repeatedly through his already tousled hair while the other one was behind his back.

"Where have you been, MR. Weasley?" Hermione did her best impression of Professor McGonagall, and Ron almost fell over the couch as he tripped. He struggled to regain his composure as he glared at Hermione and Harry, now doubled up laughing in front of the fireplace. His blue eyes were a mixture of shock and anger.

"That wasn't FUNNY, for your information!" he exclaimed edgily.

"I'm sorry, Ron. It was too good to pass up," Hermione said, straightening up but still laughing.

"Where have you been anyway?" Harry asked, grinning but standing up straight. Ron colored, the freckles on his cheeks disappearing.

"I-I... nowhere. Just went to get a drink. Yeah. WHAT are you two doing up?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.

"But Ron, I was up there a little while ago. The pitcher was full," Harry said, not letting go.

"It doesn't matter," Ron mumbled.

"Ron, tell me or I'll deduct house points RIGHT NOW!" Harry warned, taking a step forward.

"I was... visiting someone. Now, if you'll excuse me," he feigned a yawn and an unnatural-looking stretch, "I'm beat. I'm going to bed." With that, he rushed up the stairs before anyone could utter a word. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then burst out laughing. They had a good idea of where he had been.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks," Hermione suggested, rubbing her gloved hands together.

"Yeah, before my head freezes up," Ron muttered, his head buried deep in his high-collar coat so that you could only see his very red nose and very blue eyes. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, and he was shivering with every step.

"Come on, Ron. Don't be a wimp. You can't stand this cold?" Harry asked, waving an arm at the sky.

"No," Ron immediately replied.

"Well, neither can I. Let's go," he replied, making Hermione laugh, as they ran across the snow-covered street to the Three Broomsticks. As they pushed the door open, the little bell above their heads tinkled three times. A blast of warmth greeted them, mixed with the busy chatter of all the people who were sitting at the tables as Madam Rosmerta and her red shoes ran around, trying to get everyone's order.

They took a seat at a table in the back of the room near a small fireplace built into the wall. Ron sighed in immense relief as he slid into the seat next to Harry, who sat across from Hermione. It was still a little awkward between Ron and Hermione. Even though the majority of their little time spent together these days was friendly, a wave of tension still hung in the air. They weren't able to be free around each other anymore, and it made Hermione a little mad. Harry noticed that whenever the three of them were together, sometimes they fell into an awkward silence and Harry mostly had to restart the conversation.

"May I take your order?" Madam Rosmerta asked, beaming at them, a quill and a pad of paper poised in her hand.

"Three butterbeers, please," Harry smiled at her. She nodded and scribbled it down.

"I'll be right back," she said and hurried off, whereupon Harry turned back to his friends.

"Look who's here," Ron snarled, nodding at the doorway. The other two looked in his direction to see Malfoy and his thugs step in through the door. They walked over and sat 3 tables away from where Harry, Hermione and Ron sat.

"Just ignore them," Hermione said in a low tone, talking more to the table than to the two across from her.

"She's right, Ron. Just leave them alone. They're not worth our time," Harry agreed as he turned back to the table. After rolling his eyes one final time, Ron turned his attention back to the table too.

"Here you go," Madam Rosmerta came back with three butterbeers in her hands and set each down in front of them.

"Is it true that Peter Pettigrew was at Hogwarts?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Oh, you poor things. Is he gone?" she asked with sympathy.

"For now," Ron answered, taking a swig of the butterbeer and reveling in the sweetness of it.

"Such audacity, terrorizing children in SCHOOL. Got to learn..." she muttered more to herself than to them, walking away.

The three sighed and took a sip of their butterbeers.

"I really do hope he doesn't come back," Hermione said.

"Me neither," Ron agreed. They looked at each other as the awkward silence descended again. Luckily for Harry, a big black dog suddenly scratched at the glass window next to where Ron was sitting. Harry looked at it, surprised, and looked into a pair of familiar brown eyes. As realization hit him, Ron screamed and scooted over to Harry, almost knocking him to the floor.

"RON!" Harry exclaimed, shoving Ron back over. "Its Snuffles!"

"Let's go outside!" Hermione said excitedly, and before they could reply, rushed out the door. Harry and Ron hurried after her.

"Wait!" Ron exclaimed, gripping Harry's sleeve to stop him.

"What?" Harry asked, stopping and turning around.

"I forgot something," Ron said and ran back to the table. As Harry watched, he gulped his butterbeer down and then ran back to Harry, panting.

"You went back to DRINK that?" Harry asked, amazed.

"That's what's going to keep my insides warm for the next minute. Let's go," Ron explained and pushed Harry out the door. They rushed across the street where Hermione was on her knee, scratching the big dog behind his ears as he growled.

"Took you both long enough," she commented, not looking at them. The canine immediately ran over to Harry, who also scratched him behind the ears, and tugged on the edge of Harry's cloak.

"Where to?" he asked as the dog led them up and around the street to a small house that looked very run-down. Once inside, Harry saw that no one had lived there for years, and he knew why. The floors were eaten away by years of decay and insects, the wallpaper was cracked and peeling, and there was a dank smell all around. Thick vines were creeping up the back wall, aiming for the ceiling.

"What is this place, Sirius?" Ron asked, pinching his nose with his thumb and index fingers.

"An old house I found while roaming the other day," he answered, walking forward as he assumed his human form again. Harry studied him, and he looked healthier than the last time he had seen him, when Sirius Black had been all skin and bones.

"You look alive, Sirius," Harry commented, grinning, glad to see his godfather in good shape. Sirius laughed.

"Why, thank you," he answered, bowing. "There's something the three of you should know," he added in a more serious tone.

"What?" Hermione asked, tensing up.

"Well, in case I'm very much mistaken, which doesn't happen often, Wormtail is coming back for a third round. Remus and I did some investigating and obtained this information. But this time, he has a reason: He's coming for you, Harry."

"What do you mean, coming for HARRY?" Ron exclaimed.

"I mean, he's coming to take Harry to a secret hideout somewhere - I don't know where yet - and prepare you for Voldemort," Sirius explained edgily. Harry sighed.

"Well, we all knew it was only a matter of time," he answered heavily. Little did he and the others know that Draco Malfoy had seen the dog as well, as was scribbling it down on a piece of parchment out of the sights of Crabbe and Goyle, the brainless twits.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was too clear to be true. And yet, it couldn't be a dream. There was no haze. Every person's face, contorted in some expression, stood out, each clear as the next, except for the dark figures in the hooded black cloaks, hunched over in a circle with their hands clasped in front of them. Their faces you couldn't make out at all.

A cauldron bubbled in the middle of the large circle formed by the hooded figures as big purple bubbles popped on the surface and a thick steam rose out of it. Suddenly, a tall, skinny hooded body appeared in front of the cauldron from the darkness beyond. It raised its hands up in the air, causing circle to simultaneously move down in a single bow. As they raised back up, their heads still bowed, the tall figure behind the cauldron cried in a high, shrill voice: "My fellow men, today we welcome a new member into our circle. One who is certainly worthy of such a high title. Son of my most loyal, Lucius," the voice paused as one of the hooded people stepped forward, bowing his head even lower.

"My lord," he greeted curtly in a steely voice.

"Lucius, bring forth your son, and we shall see if he is ready to join me," the voice commanded as the body attached slid around the cauldron so it was standing in front of it.

"Yes, my lord," the man named Lucius bowed quickly and rushed off. A few moments later, he returned, followed by a smaller body cloaked in black, hood drawn up over his head. The two stopped a few feet from the tall leader, the smaller body in front now.

"My lord," he answered in a cold, crisp tone, bowing curtly.

"I see you've taught him well, Lucius," the voice appraised. "Lower your hood," it demanded. A pair of pale hands with long fingers lowered the black hood in one swift motion, revealing a boy of about 16 with shocking blond hair that was slicked back and glittering silver eyes.

"Ah," the voice said, circling the boy. "Draco Malfoy," it drawled, touching his back with a wand.

"I've been preparing him all his life for you, the Dark Lord," Lucius said.

"Good, good," the Dark Lord nodded, stopping in front of the cauldron once more. He raised his hands to his hood and lowered it, revealing the most grotesque face a person could ever see. Red eyes surveyed the audience with a cold strength, while the small slits for nostrils took in deep, even breaths. The scaly skin and slit for a mouth with gleaming, strong teeth completed its ugly face.

Without warning, he raised his wand to Draco and cried, "Crucio!" Draco fell to the floor on his hands and knees, gritting his teeth together against the pain. Among the many things his father had taught him, one was that a Malfoy should never show pain. Draco stayed absolutely still as the stabbing pain surged through him, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his jaws together.

When the pain finally subsided, he took a deep but shaky breath and stood up, standing straight but his head bowed.

"No display of pain... I must say, Lucius, you've prepared him more than adequately for me," the Dark Lord commended, serpent-like eyes on Draco.

"Adipiscorius!" he intoned next, making Draco fall to the ground on all fours once more. This time, the pain started in his head, then slowly spread down his body, feeling like molten lava was pouring through him slowly, agonizingly, and making it seem like death was better. But like before, he restrained the scream that threatened to rip out of his throat and settled for gritting his teeth and pinching his eyes shut. When the unbearable pain had passed, he stood up straight once more, bowing his head again.

"Very good," the Dark Lord approved, twirling his wand in his hand.

"Thank you, my lord," the two Malfoys replied in unison.

"It is time," the Dark Lord announced after a few seconds more of studying Draco. He nodded, causing the other hooded figures to press together and make the circle significantly smaller. Lucius retreated into the empty spot behind him, and Draco stepped forward, calm on the outside but trembling violently inside.

"Show me your arm," the Lord commanded. Draco raised his left sleeve and extended his flawless arm. The Dark Lord clasped his hand above the wrist, sending a freezing chill through Draco.

"Consurgo Appareo!" he intoned, making Draco flinch in his mind. His brain was still quite in control, however, and he stood still, watching as the infamous Dark Mark, a skull with a serpent protruding out of its mouth, burned permanently into his arm.

Harry shot up in bed, his scar burning, bathed in sweat. Draco Malfoy had gotten the Dark Mark, and Harry had seen it.

He couldn't have possibly dreamed it. It felt too real. As his breathing slowed to a normal pace, Harry stood up and walked to the bathroom, his scar throbbing all the way. As soon as he entered it, the candles on the sconces on the walls flared to life. He shut the door and then examined himself in the mirror. A tired, tousled-haired Harry looked back with sleepy eyes behind big glasses. He took them off and rubbed his eyes, sighing deeply as the details of the 'dream' played out in front of his eyes.

Someone knocked on the door, jolting him back to the present. He quickly replaced his glasses and slowly opened the door.

"You OK, mate?" Ron asked, peeking in through the crack with a concerned expression on his face. Harry shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, pushing the door open and stepping in.

"Let's not talk here" was Harry's reply. He quietly headed out, Ron following, down the stairs and into the deserted common room. Ron sat down on the big chair, Harry sitting across from him on the two-seater.

"What's going on, then?" Ron demanded.

"Ron, I had a really weird dream," Harry started, and proceeded to explain the strange and vivid dream he had had just moments ago. When he was done, Ron stared at him with wide blue eyes and a startled expression.

"Wonder what that means, you seeing that," he finally formed a sentence. Harry shrugged again.

"I don't think it was a dream though. I mean, it was too clear to be one. And my scar hurt a lot after that. Its still does... " he trailed off, trailing a finger over his scar and immediately pulling it back as the mild pain took on a new life and became stronger for a second before dimming again.

"That's really weird," Ron furrowed his brow. "So now Malfoy has the Mark on him. Big surprise there. Do you think that has anything to do with his staring at you?" Ron inquired.

"I don't know," Harry answered uncertainly, thinking about it. Ron stifled a yawn.

"Well, I'm off to bed, Harry. Sorry, but I woke up to see if you were OK. You... are OK, aren't you?" Ron asked, making sure. Harry nodded, smiling a little.

"Good. You coming?" Ron asked, standing up and stretching.

"I think I'm going to stay down here for a little while. I'll be up soon," Harry assured.

"Suit yourself. I'm dead tired, so good night." With that, Ron walked off. Harry heard him say, "Hey, Hermione" before continuing on. Then he saw Hermione appear at the foot of the stairs, her nightgown untied, her hair up in a messy ponytail, and her face creased with concern.

"Everything all right, Harry?" she asked, wandering over and sitting next to him. He sighed.

"I had a really strange dream," he said, leaning back against the velvet seat.

"What about?" she inquired. He took a deep breath and explained it all over again. When he was done, she wasn't goggle-eyed like Ron, but she did have a strong expression of shock on her face.

"What’s the purpose of that?" she asked softly.

"I really don't know," he shrugged. She put out a hand and ran her fingers over his scar, making him squeeze his eyes shut.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, clasping one hand in the other and looking at him in alarm.

"Don't be," he replied softly, taking her hand and kissing it. She smiled a bit, then leaned back against the seat next to him. He turned his head to look into her deep toffee eyes. She stared back into his sparkling green orbs unwaveringly.

He slowly leaned in to kiss her, but she leaned in at the exact same time and their noses collided painfully.

"Ow!" they recoiled, rubbing their noses and looking at one another. Then, they burst into laughter.

"Dare to try again?" he asked.

"Definitely," she whispered and leaned in, touching his lips with her own lightly. A loud meow startled both and caused them to pull away and look down at the foot of the sofa.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed, bending down to pick him up in her arms.

"Ron's right. Bloody cat," Harry muttered playfully.

"Harry! Crookshanks is a good boy. Aren't you? Hmm? Yes you are!" she cuddled the cat which was purring contentedly in her arms. He hissed and extracted his claws above Hermione's arm at Harry's last comment, making Harry recoil.

Hermione laughed and stood up, still holding the cat.

"I'll be right back," she said and padded up the stairs, the cat quietly screeching all the way. A few moments later, she returned minus Crookshanks and took the same seat as before.

"You may have just saved my life," Harry joked, leaning back again.

"Shut up," she laughed and shoved him.

"OW! That hurt," he said, pouting and rubbing his arm.

"It did not, you liar," she replied.

"Friends don't do that to each other!" he answered, pretending to wince. "There's only one way you can make it up to me," he added, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"And what is that?" she asked, observing the gleam in his eyes with a grin. He leaned in and captured her lips in an expected but surprised kiss. Her fingers entwined in his already messy hair and his glasses dangled dangerously on his nose. She removed them and set them on the table, not breaking the kiss.

His hands traveled to the back of her neck, his lips following.

Her eyes closed as her fingers slid to his T-shirt underneath his dressing gown.

She brought his face up to hers and looked deep in his eyes, where care shone through the lust. Amazingly, her eyes reflected his, and without a word, he pushed her down on the couch and kissed her passionately.

He leaned his forehead against hers, fighting for breath.

"You're a fast learner," she said with a smile, her breath coming in short gasps.

"I learn from the best," he grinned back. She kissed him deeply one more time before he lay down on her, his head just below her neck. She gently stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. His deep, even breaths slowly lulled her to a soft slumber, as her breath did to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What time is it?" Harry mumbled, sandwiched in between the back of the couch and Hermione's warm body. He slowly turned onto his back and stretched, glancing over at Hermione. The peaceful expression she wore brought a small smile to his face and he reached out and pushed a stray strand of bushy hair that lay across her forehead back.

She stirred, then slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the surroundings. As her eyes fell on Harry, she smiled and kissed his cheek quickly before sitting up and stretching luxuriously.

"What time is it?" she repeated Harry. He laughed and sat up next to her.

"I don't know," he replied, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, I'm assuming that its Sunday, so I am going to go take a long, hot bath," she announced, then got up and walked off to her dormitory.

Harry grinned and sprinted up the stairs to his own dorm, where he found a muttering-in-his-sleep Seamus, a grinning Dean, and of course Ron, whose arm was loosely draped over a smiling Lavender's waist. Harry laughed silently and went to his trunk, grabbed a fresh set of clothes for the day and headed to the Prefects' Bathroom for a refreshing shower.

"Aqua Refresh," he intoned to the portrait of the mermaid merrily flipping her tail on a rock by the sea.

"Oh, hello, Harry," the mermaid greeted with a sly smile and a deep voice.

"Um, hi. Can I go in?" he asked uncertainly. He knew that the mermaid had a crush on him, and it scared him a bit.

"Sure. How about a good morning kiss?" she asked in an alluring voice.

"No, but thanks for asking," he quickly answered and pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind him and hoping the mermaid got the message.

"Mione, what are you doing here?" he asked, taken aback. He had expected her to be in the girls' bathroom in her dormitory.

"I'm a prefect too," she answered simply as she stepped into the immense bathtub filled with bubbles of all colors and scents filling the length of it. Once under, she took off her wet nightgown and placed it beside her. She closed her eyes and leaned back, relaxing and drowning all the worries she had in the aromatic pool.

Harry couldn't move. Her simple beauty mesmerized him. But at last, she opened her eyes and looked at him with a bemused expression on her face.

"Can I help you with something, Mr. Potter?" she asked, shriveling up a bit underneath the mass of bubbles.

"N-not really," he answered quickly, taking long strides toward the tall shower behind the tub. "Just thinking about... stuff." He stepped into the shower and took off his clothes, then turned on the tap. Hot water gushed out, and after a bit of adjusting, he sighed in comfort and relief as the water beat down on him.

Hermione smiled to herself and turned around to watch Harry step into the shower. As he disappeared behind the solid walls, she turned back and slid deeper into the bathtub, her head now swimming with thoughts of him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Breakfast was a bumpy ride and a bad start to Ron, Harry and Hermione's day.

"Why'd you break up with Ron?" an over-excited Parvati Patil grilled Ron and Hermione, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"For God sake, Par..." Hermione trailed off, staring closely at Parvati's shoulder.

"What?" Parvati shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"Stay still," Hermione instructed. Then, she conjured up a small glass jar with her wand and, very slowly, clamped it down on Parvati's shoulder.

"OW!" Parvati exclaimed, wincing.

"Yes!" Hermione held the jar up to her face, then muttered, "Principalis Conformus." The small beetle inside, buzzing excitedly and flying around in circles inside the jar, finally landed on the wall and stared at her with its beady little eyes.

Hermione sighed and placed the jar down.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I thought it was Rita Skeeter. You know, what with last year and everything." Harry finally understood her weird behavior, as did everyone else who was staring, and turned back to his breakfast. Parvati flashed Hermione a quick smile and, rubbing her shoulder, tentatively asked, "So what about an answer to my question?"

"What question was that again?" Ron asked, busily stuffing his mouth with breakfast.

"Ron!" Parvati rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Never mind," she added and turned to Hermione. "See you in Care Of Magical Creatures," she said and left.

"Bye!" Hermione replied after her and turned back to her breakfast.

"Mr. Potter," a silky voice came from behind Harry. He turned to see Snape standing with his hands crossed behind his back.

"Professor Dumbledore and I need to have a word with you," he said simply, raising an eyebrow. Ron glanced at him furtively but didn't say anything, and Hermione flashed him a worried look. Harry nodded at Ron and squeezed her hand under the table as a sign of assurance.

He looked up at Snape, nodded, and followed him out to Dumbledore's office.

"Jelly Belly Beans," Snape intoned at the large stone eagle that stood guard in front of Dumbledore's office with a look of disgust. The bird slowly rotated, producing steps from underneath, and Snape and Harry stepped onto them. In no time, it had carried them to the top, where Dumbledore's door was ajar and waiting to be walked through.

Snape pushed the door open all the way and strode in, Harry hurrying to keep up with him.

"What's going on?" he asked, stopping abruptly behind Snape as he came to a halt.

"I believe," Dumbledore appeared, "that we will be getting a visitor soon."

"What?" Harry asked, clearly confused, as he stepped to the side. The elderly Headmaster gestured with a hand toward the seats. Snape and Harry sat down at once.

"Severus, would you like to start?" Dumbledore asked gently, folding his hands in front of him on the cluttered desk. Snape nodded.

"At the last meeting, I was informed that Peter Pettigrew would be paying us another visit, and soon," Snape explained.

"I know. Sirius" - Snape flinched ever so slightly at the name - " told me," Harry answered. "What meeting?"

"The meeting of the Death Eaters, Potter," Snape answered rather impatiently, lifting up his left sleeve to flash Harry the Dark Mark that was imprinted there.

"Oh. Right," Harry replied quickly. He knew that Snape was a spy working for the Headmaster.

"Harry, please be on alert. Anything you see out of the ordinary, please come tell me," Dumbledore instructed. Harry nodded, fully determined to follow these orders.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The rain pelted the windows and drummed against the walls. As a clap of thunder resounded, Hermione Granger could be found in her room, alone, finishing up her Care Of Magical Creatures essay. She heard the door creak open, but was too busy to look up or notice. She was on a roll.

"Surprise," a voice whispered in her ear, causing her to smile. She slowly put down her quill and stood up, then turned around to see no one. Her face creased into a frown as she looked around for the whispered voice. She moved deeper into the room, looking around the whole time.

She felt a warm breath on her neck, followed by a soft kiss just below her earlobe. She giggled, then turned around to see nothing but air. She reached out and, once she felt it, closed her fist around it and yanked down.

"Ow!" Harry exclaimed, coming into view as the cloak fell to the ground. He was welcomed by a laughing Hermione.

"That's not funny!" he exclaimed, clutching his left hand, which had been tugging at the cloak before it had been ripped out of his hand.

"Yes it is! If you think you can sneak into the girls' dorm unnoticed and try to scare me, you've got another think coming!" she replied, grinning.

"Well, that's no excuse to HURT me!" he retorted, looking down at his hand.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, stepping forward and taking his hand gently and kissing the palm.

"All healed?" she asked, gazing up into his gleaming eyes.

"Not really," he answered, leaning forward and enveloping her mouth with his in a hungry kiss. She gave in for a second, then stepped back, smiling.

"What if someone comes in?" she asked, glancing at the door.

"Arcanus," he said the Locking Charm, pointing his wand at the door without taking his eyes off her.

"You're not going to charm your way out of this. What if someone asks WHY its locked?" she asked, amused.

"You can tell them I'm doing things to you that's not meant for people to see," he whispered in her ear, feeling her tense up. Then he looked at her, laughing. "OR you can tell them that you're studying for a test and it was so important that you didn't want anyone bothering you."

She grinned. "Even though I get the feeling that you would rather it be the first one, the latter would be better," she answered, tilting her head up slightly and brushing her lips against his, making him shudder involuntarily.

"Would you like that?" he asked, his breathing becoming heavier to match hers.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, grinning, before kissing him full on the mouth. He stepped back, but only for a second, before folding his arms around her narrow waist and gathering her to him. She brought her hands up to his chest as she kissed him back, her mind on fire.

He pulled back and looked at her, a softness in his eyes that did not belong to the word "friendly".

"You are incredible, you know that?" she whispered, running a finger along his cheekbone.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he replied, grinning. "I hear that every day. But the thing is, I don't have a swollen head like Malfoy." Hermione laughed. "And Malfoy doesn't have a girlfriend to impress," he added, before blushing furiously and sitting down in the chair in front of her desk.

"What did you say?" she asked, kneeling in front of him.

"I shouldn't have said that," Harry muttered, reminding Hermione a lot of Hagrid.

"No, Harry, its OK," she reassured him, looking into his eyes. "Do you consider me your girlfriend?" she inquired carefully.

"I shouldn't have said that," he mumbled. "I mean, you're obviously not, and I have no right saying that. You probably don't even want to be..."

"What gives you that impression?" she asked, half - laughing.

"I don't know," he replied uneasily. "I'm just assuming."

"Exactly. You don't have any proof," she said softly. "Harry, I would love to be your girlfriend," she declared, kissing him tenderly.

"Are you sure?" was the sentence that came out of his mouth. She laughed outright, causing him to break out in a grin.

"Yes," she nodded, biting her lip with a smile. He stood up and extended his hands out. She took them, feeling the warmth, and stood up to face him.

A loud clap of thunder made her jump. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, then blushed as she saw him studying her. She covered her face with her hands, only for Harry to remove them and lift her red face up to his.

He kissed her so deeply that it left her breathless. "Its OK. Everyone's scared of something. But you don't have to worry. I'm here," he reassured her, putting his forehead to hers.

She smiled. "I'm glad," she whispered, kissing him deeply. It was her turn to leave him breathless.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Harry walked to dinner with Ron by his side, who was fuming as usual about the four-foot Transfiguration essay they had been assigned earlier in the day, he got an unpleasant surprise not far from the Great Hall.

A snickering blonde Slytherin caught Harry's eyes and made Ron snort in disgust.

"What's so funny, Malfoy?" Ron spat as they neared.

"Well, Weasley, other than the fact that YOU'RE here, I heard that you and the mudblood broke up," he started laughing again.

"Why is that your business?" Ron asked angrily, clenching his fists.

"Its not. It just goes to show that a Malfoy can hold onto a woman better and longer than a pathetic little Weasel," the blonde drawled. Just then, a skiny brunette walked up behind him and linked his arm through his.

"Robbie," she purred in his ear in a thick Irish accent, "tonight. Eight. Coming?"

Robert Malfoy grinned in Harry and Ron's direction.

"Sod off, Thumbelina," Harry muttered. Suddenly, a small rat the size of one's fist scurried up to the younger Malfoy's expensive-looking shoes and scratched at them.

"Crap," Malfoy muttered. He shook his foot and bent down to pick up the rat by its tail.

"Look, Potter!" he said, the girl still linked to his arm. "It's the mirror image of you!"

"Malfoy, I swear..." Harry started, but was cut off as the rodent turned its head to regard Harry with its tiny eyes. Harry's eyes grew wide, and as the small Malfoy turned to mutter something to the girl, Harry urgently whispered in Ron's ear, "Ron! That's Wormtail!"

Ron's eyes grew wider than Harry's, and he nodded.

"What, Weasley? Finally acknowledging that maybe even this rat's wealthier than you?" the youth chortled.

"I'm warning you..." Ron threatened, his hand gripping around his wand.

"Give me that rat, Malfoy," Harry extended a slightly trembling hand.

"Why?" the blonde asked.

"Because, it's my friend's pet. And, um, he's been looking for it. So hand it over. NOW," Harry commanded.

"No! You're not the boss! You're just Potty!" he retorted, then grinned widely as the girl next to him laughed a high, squealing laugh.

"Oh, you're so funny, Robbie!" she exclaimed. Harry stared at Malfoy piercingly, and the small Slytherin stared back coldly.

"Robert! What are you doing? And why do you have a filthy rat?" the older Malfoy's deep voice cut through them. Robert glanced up to see his cousin scowling down at him.

"Potter wanted it, Draco. So I decided to hold it hostage," Robert said.

"Well, as honorable as your intentions are," Draco sneered at Harry, "give it back. Malfoys have better ways of humiliating people."

"Not that they need Malfoys humiliating them. I mean, this is Potty and the Weasel we're talking about," Robert chuckled, and Draco joined in. Robert dropped the rat on the floor.

"Have a good time," Draco said and the evil duo walked off. Harry quickly bent down and picked up the squirming rat that had been trying to run off.

"Dumbledore," him and Ron said at the same time, then ran full-speed to Dumbledore's office.

"Beaky Butterbeer," Ron hurriedly called and they ran up the swirling stairs and rushed through the door to find the Headmaster stroking Fawkes, his beautiful pet Phoenix.

"Professor! We found Wormtail!" Harry exclaimed. The professor turned at once and strode over to where the two boys were standing.

"Follow me," the elderly man said curtly and walked fast to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As he passed the Potions classroom, he called, "Severus!" and Snape joined them at once.

They ran into the deserted Defense Against the Dark Arts room and Snape shut the door behind him.

"Remus!" Dumbledore called. Lupin came out a few moments later, half- running.

"Its time," Dumbledore said, nodding. The men all pulled out their wands, so Ron and Harry did the same.

"Harry, when I tell you, place Peter on the ground. Remus, you place the Immobulus charm on him. Severus, you have the Veritaserum?" Dumbledore asked. Snape nodded.

"Good, Dumbledore continued. "When I tell you, give him the serum. Mr. Weasley will then place the spell on him that changes him into his human form, and Harry will take the spell off of him. Clear?"

The others nodded grimly and aimed their wand toward the floor.

"Now, Harry," the Headmaster ordered. Harry immediately bent down and placed the gray rat on the floor. At once, Remus cried, "Immobulus!" Wormtail now moved, but painfully slowly. As if setting off a chain reaction, Snape bent down and took out a thin vial of clear liquid. He gently pried Wormtail's small mouth open and placed two drops of the serum into his mouth, then closed it and squeezed the rodent's throat gently to make sure it was swallowed.

Next came Ron's voice, which clearly intoned, "Principalis Conformus!" In the blink of an eye, the rat transformed back into a still immobilized Peter Pettigrew, the same short, stocky, watery-eyed man Harry remembered from his third year.

"Finite Incantatem!" Harry followed. The small man blinked several times, then glanced with fearful eyes up at the people surrounding him, all their wands pointed at him.

"Start talking," Snape ordered curtly.

"Wait," a voice very much like Dumbledore's resounded at the door. All heads turned to see Aberforth, with his wand gripped tightly in his hand, standing there, his blue eyes flashing.

"Not going to start without me, are you?" he asked, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he strode quickly to the spot where everyone else was standing.

"Of course not, Aberforth," Lupin replied, grinning grimly. They glanced down at the now shaking man on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" the Headmaster asked softly, lowering his wand. The others reluctantly followed.

"And don’t bother lying," Snape added coldly.

"The Dark Lord has sent me to spy on Harry Potter," Peter answered, trembling.

"Why?" Lupin immediately asked.

"The Dark Lord wants Harry Potter to join him. In his inside circle," Peter explained.

"Why?" Snape repeated.

"So that he can learn of his weaknesses - that is why I am here - and then use them against him," Peter replied.

"So what are you supposed to do for your Lord?" Aberforth asked curiously.

"I am to fetch something of great importance that belongs to Harry Potter for my Lord," Peter answered. "I am also to do research on his everyday behavior and take notes on his secrets and weaknesses."

"Is that why you keep coming back? Because you haven't gathered enough information?" Ron asked shakily. Peter simply nodded.

"Is there anyone helping you?" Lupin asked slowly.

"One Draco Malfoy," was Wormtail's answer.

"Draco Malfoy?" Harry echoed, surprised.

"Yes, Draco Malfoy has been instructed by his father to spy on Harry Potter, so that he can learn of his behavioral patterns and study them. He is to report this information back to Lucius Malfoy so that it can be passed onto the Dark Lord," Peter explained.

"Harry!" Ron whispered urgently. "That's why Malfoy's been staring at you!" Harry only nodded, putting two and two together.

"What does he plan to do next?" Albus Dumbledore asked, voicing the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Once this information gets back to the Dark Lord, he will instigate the first part of his plan by ordering Mr. Malfoy to place an unexpected attack on Harry Potter. The Lord has said that he will do anything to make sure that the first part of his plan follows through smoothly. Even kill," Wormtail relayed.

"I think that is enough information for now," Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"What should we do with him, Albus?" Snape asked, looking at Wormtail with disgust clearly showing on his face.

"I think it would be best if we locked him up in one of the cells in the basement. For now, at least. And to place a locking charm on the door," Aberforth suggested. Every head turned to Dumbledore to see his reaction. After a moment of quiet, Dumbledore resignedly nodded and put his wand away.

"Yes, I think that should be good," he answered. "Immobilize him, Severus, please. And Remus, would you be so kind as to taking Mr. Pettigrew down to one of our cells and placing a locking charm on the door?" Dumbledore requested. The two teachers nodded curtly, and Snape cried, "Immobulus!" Wormtail went into slow motion again.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said and, without another word, exited the room, Aberforth on his heels.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What are we going to do, Albus? Draco goes to SCHOOL with Harry! He has CLASSES with Harry!" Aberforth exclaimed, following his brother to his office.

"I think that we should be as subtle as possible in laying out security for Mr. Potter and his friends, in case Voldemort decides to get to him through them," Albus replied somewhat calmly.

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," he intoned and the eagle began to spin.

"What sort of security are you talking about?" Aberforth questioned, following Albus up the stairs.

"Enough that we know he's protected, but also enough that others don't suspect. Especially Draco Malfoy," Albus replied.

"I'll help," Aberforth offered briskly as they stepped into Albus' brightly-lit office. "I'll come into the castle and watch. With Hagrid, of course. If they ask, Hagrid can just say that I'm helping him with some errands."

"Good idea, Aberforth. Remus can also help. All the teachers can, I believe. Including me. We need to make sure," Albus said with a portly sigh, "that all the students at Hogwarts are safe. For they are in danger now."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"The Chudley Cannons are famous for their elaborate formations," Harry read for the thousandth time from the book Ron had given him three years ago. But his mind was elsewhere. After they had interrogated Wormtail, Harry and Ron had come back to the Gryffindor common room and sat in silence, taking it all in. Then, Ron had broken the stunned silence by announcing that he had to go to the library to finish his Potions essay and that he had to meet someone there.

"Can't keep Lavender waiting, right?" Harry had asked coyly, grinning. Ron had simply resembled a beet and hurriedly left. An hour later, Harry was in the same spot in front of the fire, the book in his hands. But he wasn't concentrating on it. So Malfoy's father asked his git of a son to spy on me, he thought. Never thought THAT would happen. Should be more careful around him, he made a mental note of it.

"Guess who?" a voice whispered as a pair of hands wrapped around his eyes, making everything black. He took in a deep breath, recognizing the scent of lilac.

"Ron?!" he exclaimed, excited. "I thought you were out snogging Lavender! When'd you get back?"

"Oh, FINE. If Ron's more important to you than me," Hermione huffed, removing her hands and emerging from behind him. Harry laughed.

"I'm going up to my dorm. At least my BOOKS recognize me for who I am," she commented importantly and started to walk off when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"You can't take a joke, you know that?" he asked as she sat next to him.

"Oh, was that a JOKE? Forgive ME!" she replied dramatically, then burst out laughing. Harry joined, but stopped when events of earlier came back to plague his mind once more.

"What's wrong, Harry?" her voice was full of concern.

"Oh, um, nothing," he lied, flashing her a quick smile.

"Don't lie to me, Harry Potter. I can always tell when something's wrong," she answered, leaning an elbow against the arm of the seat.

"How?" he asked.

"Well, I can tell by looking in your eyes when something's troubling you. They get sort of clouded over," she replied. "Now, tell me."

So he did. He explained everything, every detail, and carefully watched her reaction during every part. She gasped every now and then, her eyes widened, and she even furrowed her eyebrows once or twice.

"So THAT'S why Malfoy's been spying on me," he finished and leaned against the back of the seat.

"We've always known Malfoy to be a rotten snitch," she finally replied, anger hinting her voice.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I just... I don't want to think about it anymore. It’s starting to give me a headache." He rubbed his temples slowly.

"I'm sorry about all of this happening to you," she said.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault," he answered, studying her as she toyed with the red upholstery.

"I know, but I still feel bad that you have to suffer through all of this," she answered. He pulled her close to him, her warmth radiating off her and into him. She gladly accepted as she leaned back against his sturdy chest, close to tears for her best friend, her boyfriend, suffering since the day he had been brought into this world.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, gently wiping the tears that started to spill out. She shook her head and helped him wipe the waterfalls away.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling. He kissed her forehead and rested his chin atop her head. She listened to his heartbeat, slow and steady.

"What are you thinking about right now?" she asked, staring straight into the fire.

"Wormtail," he sighed. "I can't believe it." She sat up and faced him.

"Maybe I help you take your mind off it," she grinned mischievously.

"Really, Ms. Granger? And how do you propose doing that?" he asked, grinning back. She shrugged, a small plan hatching in her mind.

She stood up, stretching luxuriously.

"Where are you going?" he asked, standing up as well.

"I'm going to get a book," she replied simply.

"A book? What for?" he asked, confused. She leaned in close to him, her lips inches from his, and whispered, "To take your mind off Wormtail." Then she backed up, laughing.

Harry looked confused, then his lips twisted into a smile. He would go along with this. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "That's very nice of you, but I was thinking we could do something a little more... fun." He heard her breathing quicken, and smiled as he stepped back.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, stepping forward.

"Well, we could start with this," he said in a suggestive tone, and closed the gap between them with a breathtaking kiss. Her hands went to play with his hair as he pulled her closer to him, then stopped and looked into her eyes that glowed with a fire he had never seen before.

"Good idea," she voiced, struggling to breathe.

"I must be getting better at this. Seems every time I kiss you, its harder for you to breathe," Harry commented with an impish grin. Hermione blushed, but took hold of his tie and brought him close to her again.

"Then, maybe we could go on to this," she whispered and took his mouth once again, her arms circling around his neck. He hungrily kissed her back, his tongue slipping out of its home and exploring every corner of her mouth. In response, she pushed her tongue back against his, doing some exploring of her own.

She slowly pulled back, positively gasping as his hands circled lazily on her back.

"A very good idea," he approved, leaning his forehead against hers, not stopping tracing shapes on her back.

"Harry," she began as soon as she had regained some control of her brain, "Should we tell Ron?"

"I don't know," he replied, thinking. "I mean, he knows we're only friends now, right?"

"Um," Hermione blushed, looking down at her shoes, "I might've told him that we kissed once."

"Oh," was all Harry said. "Do you want to tell him?" he asked finally.

"I... don't know," she answered slowly. "When I told him then, he looked crushed."

"But then he didn't know he was falling for Lavender," Harry pointed out.

"Harry, I think it would be best if we didn't tell Ron. Or anyone for that matter," Hermione answered flatly.

"What's your reason?" he asked, wholeheartedly agreeing with her and showing it by nodding.

"With Wormtail and Voldemort after you, and Malfoy snaking around you, I... I don't want anything to happen to you," she whispered, one hand on his cheek.

"I promise," he leaned in to kiss her tenderly, "nothing will happen to me. Malfoy's a prat. He's got nothing on me." He grinned to ease her worries, and it seemed to have worked as she smiled back somewhat hesitantly.

"But don't for one minute think that I don't want the whole world to know," she breathed, reaching up to kiss him with force. He kissed back, tongue roaming around her mouth. They pulled back and hugged, pressing against each other, each afraid to lose the person they loved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hi, Hagrid!"

"'Arry! Ron! 'Ermione! Come on in!" Hagrid bellowed at the trio at his door. Beaming, they entered the hot hut, Fang on their heels. Once the door had been shut, Aberforth got up off all fours and settled himself in one of the chairs near the scrubbed table.

"'Aven't seen you in a while! What 'ave you been up to?" Hagrid asked as he poured them tea from a huge pot.

"Schoolwork. The O.W.L's are coming up," Hermione stated.

"Yeah, and we're dying with Hermione pestering us to study every waking minute," Ron groaned mockingly, receiving a glare from Hermione.

"And Aberforth's been following us around. Real invasion of privacy," Harry joked, grinning at the old man, who smiled back with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

"One can never have too much protection," he answered seriously.

"Aberforth's right, 'Arry. Yeh've got ter be careful," Hagrid warned.

"Why did you want to see us, Hagrid?" Harry voiced, accepting the cup of tea Hagrid offered, but declining the rock cakes, which matched their name very well.

"Jus' missed yeh, that's all," he replied warmly, grinning. "Don' get to see yeh out of me class, and what with Lucius sniffin' 'round," he added with a tone of disgust.

"Malfoy's father's come back?" Ron asked, sitting up straight.

"I shouldn' have said that," Hagrid muttered, shaking his head as he sat down in his big armchair.

"Its all right, Hagrid. Tell them, they have a right to know," Aberforth assured him. Hagrid gave him an uncertain glance, but with a nod from Aberforth, turned to the three and explained.

"Lucius Malfoy came to see me the other day. Wanted ter know whether his son was doin' well in me class. I said he was. Then he asked me whether I'd seen anything suspicious 'round the castle, and if that's why I was wanderin' around with Fang. I told him, I said, "That's none of your business, Malfoy. I can wander 'round the castle if I want." And he asked me if I knew somethin' he didn'. I went a bit stiff, but I said no. Then he told me that all sorts of people were lurkin' about, and I best be on alert if I don't want nothin' happenin' to me. I told him to leave everyone alone, but all he said was, if I knew what was good fer me, I'd stay out of people's business," Hagrid finished, his eyes darting around the hut as he spoke.

"He said that? He must've been talking about Wormtail," Harry concluded, glancing at Aberforth, who nodded.

"You're right, Harry. He was. He was also the one who advised Draco to spy on you, and has been helping the Dark Lord come up with the rest of the plan and a backup plan. I have learned that he has come to see Albus about Draco's grades, so apparently he thought he'd drop by for a visit," Aberforth explained. Harry only nodded.

"Onto more cheerful subjects!" Hagrid said after a moment's silence, clapping his hands.

"Well, I personally think that it's a wonderful idea that they have an ADVANCED level in each class for the O.W.L's..." Hermione started.

"Maybe you didn't hear him, Hermione. He said CHEERFUL subjects!" Ron interrupted, the result being that she reached across Harry and slapped Ron hard on his arm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Honestly, HOW much homework can ONE teacher heap on us!?" Ron cried exasperatedly. Him, Lavender, Dean, Harry and Hermione sat in the common room, finishing their homework for the night. Since the O.W.L's were nearing, the teachers had unanimously decided to pile on the homework. Snape had assigned them a four-foot long essay on the ups and downs of a Love Potion, to create a list of potions dangerous for the mind, and, given a potion and its ingredients, to determine the procedure.

"Hey, Harry, can I see your essay? Mine is still four inches short," Ron complained, looking up from his parchment.

"Sure," Harry replied distractedly, concentrating on figuring out the procedure for the Duresius Potion.

"Harry!" Hermione said in a reprimanding tone. "Ron, you should use YOUR brain to do your homework, not Harry's."

"He hasn't GOT a brain of his own!" Dean cracked, which made everyone, even Hermione, laugh. Ron, however, was not amused.

"Ha ha ha," he said dryly. "Let's all make fun of Ron. What a hoot."

"If you insist," Harry replied, grinning. "After all, that carrot top of yours hides nothing except an empty home."

"I don't have to stay here and take this abuse!" Ron exclaimed, standing up with his things under his arm. Harry laughed, joined by the others, even Lavender.

"I'M going to the library!" he announced triumphantly.

"Are you sure you know the way?" Hermione couldn't help adding. He stared daggers at her for a second before walking off in a huff.

"I've got to go," Lavender said resignedly. "Duties." She waved and left.

"Enough of Potions, I say!" Dean said, throwing down his quill and standing up. "I'm revolting!"

"You sure are!" Harry answered, getting a shocked look from Dean.

"Sorry, Dean. You walked right into that," he said through a fit of laughter.

"Now I know how Ron feels," he said in a mock hurt way, gathering his things. "I'm going back up to my dorm, where people think I actually look GOOD."

"Like your mirror?" Hermione yelled after his retreating back. He turned around and gave her a glare to match Ron's, and not looking at where he was going, bumped headlong into Neville's approaching form. Both boys fell to the ground with an "Oof!"

Harry was rolling on the floor and Hermione was doubled over with laughter now. Neville and Dean got up, brushed themselves off, and set off in opposite directions.

"It's always me, isn't it?" Neville muttered. "And on top, I've got to go to Snape's detention." Still muttering under his breath, he exited the room.

"In conclusion, there are many ups as there are downs to a Love Potion," Harry finished with a flourish of his quill.

"DONE!" he cried triumphantly, raising his hands high above his head and stretching. Hermione stood up and read his essay over his shoulder.

"Nice concluding sentence," she said sarcastically.

"Thanks... hang on. What's wrong with it?" he asked, furrowing his brows. He was still getting used to Hermione's sarcasm. Besides, he thought it was a perfectly good concluding sentence.

"Its just a little bland, that's all. I'll help you this one time," she said with a heavy sigh. She waved her wand at the paper and his concluding sentence changed into: "In conclusion, while the Love Potion can deter one's mind into a false imprisonment of love, a matching negative is that it leads to the victim's mind to be free of worries or distress, causing them to lead their consciousness into a temporary suspension. For every positive, there is a matching negative."

"That's better, isn't it?" she asked, smiling and putting her wand away. "Don't want to lose any points for Gryffindor." The last sentence was whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry brought his hands up and pulled her face down to his.

"Harry, I don't think this is..." he cut her off with a kiss. After a moment of resisting, she finally gave in, deepening the kiss by snaking her tongue into Harry's mouth and wrapping her arms around Harry's neck.

"Pimply Pumpkin Juice!" someone outside the common frantically screamed, causing Harry and Hermione to break away and stand up bolt upright.

The portrait door swung open and a frenzied Neville charged in, panic written on his face.

"Hagrid's hut's been attacked!" he exclaimed.

"Hermione gasped. Harry strode over to Neville.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, the shock hitting him full- force.

"I saw the flames coming from his hut! I-I didn't know what to do! So I went to Dumbledore, then came here to tell you guys since you're so close to him!" Neville said in a panicky voice. Harry nodded. Hermione had now joined him.

"Thanks, Neville," he said and ran out the door, Hermione close behind him. They ran all the way outside where a spring breeze, mingled with the deep black of the night, greeted them. Harry paused for a second before jogging the rest of the way to the orange mass up ahead on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, prayers running through his mind a mile a minute.

As he neared the sky-high flames near where Hagrid's hut used to stand, Harry could feel the heat radiating off them. He had to squint to see anything clearly past the haze of heat for miles around, and he spotted a flash of silver. He ran over in that direction, hoping that it was Dumbledore.

"Professor!" he gasped, halting near the headmaster, who was gazing up at the flames next to an open-mouthed McGonagall. The older wizard lowered his head and looked at Harry, the twinkle in his eyes gone.

"Is Hagrid OK?" Harry asked, awaiting a positive answer.

"Harry, do you know why this was done?" Dumbledore asked instead, gesturing to the hut engulfed by the fire. Gasping for breath, Harry shook his head.

"Is Hagrid OK?" Hermione half-shouted, stopping beside Harry and trying to draw in deep breaths, but ending up coughing.

"Calm down," McGonagall instructed, not taking her eyes off the arms of red that reached toward the sky. "Hagrid's fine, thank god."

"What happened?" Harry asked, squinting up as the fire slowly overtook the cozy home.

"Someone set fire to Hagrid's house. We don't know who, but we do have an idea as to why," Dumbledore replied simply.

"Why?" Hermione asked softly, barely audible over the vicious flames.

"To get to Harry by harming those close to him," the wizened man answered gravely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sweaty and covered in soot, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Lavender and Ginny trudged into the common room, exhausted.

"That was unbelievable. I never thought I'd be helping to extinguish Hagrid's house on fire," Ginny commented flatly, collapsing on the sofa and sending up a small cloud of dust around her. She closed her eyes, too tired to care.

"Who could've done it?" Ron asked, still shocked from what he had just done. He plopped down next to Ginny.

"Dumbledore said that it was to get at Harry by attacking the people close to him," Ginny said slowly.

"I can't believe this," Harry muttered, putting his head in his hands.

"Hagrid, of all people!" Dean uttered.

"I bet it was one of Voldemort's minions," Seamus said with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"We don't know for sure," Hermione reasoned, but followed it up with, "But it probably was, though. God, I hate them."

"Who doesn't? Maybe Lucius Malfoy did it," Neville suggested.

"Well, the teachers are examining it now. They said there was some sort of mark on the grass in the back," Ron said, leaning back. Observing the look on Harry's face, he hastily added, "Not the Dark Mark."

Suddenly, a gruff voice recited the password outside the common room, causing all of them to stand up in unison, Neville trembling a bit.

"Are yeh all alright?" a soft but booming voice greeted as Hagrid stooped low to enter the common room, Fang at his heels. Harry grinned widely and ran over to Hagrid, hugging him. The others followed, embracing their half- giant friend.

"Hagrid! We thought something had happened to you!" Hermione exclaimed, tears squeezing out of her eyes as she stared up at Hagrid.

"No, no, I'm all right," he answered heavily, hugging them all back. As they released him, Harry could see a glint of tears in Hagrid's eyes and sympathy in Fang's.

"What happened?" Ron asked hastily.

"I dunno. They're lookin' into it now. I s'pose I should go help them. Just wanted to see if yeh're all right," he answered.

"We're fine. Just glad you're OK," Lavender said, grinning.

"Good. Well, good night. Don't worry abou' the mess outside. It'll be sorted out soon enough," he assured them and with a final glance and "Come on, Fang", he left. The others sighed and headed back.

"I am going to sleep until next millenium," Ron announced and dragged himself up the stairs, the other boys except Harry following suit with scattered "Me too" 's in tired tones.

"Well, I don't know how they can live in filth, but I'm going to take a shower. The least a girl can do is clean up before going to bed," Ginny said through a yawn. The other girls, although bushed, wholeheartedly agreed.

"You two going?" Ginny asked, not bothering to turn around to face Harry and Hermione as she walked up the stairs. When she only received a low "Mm, no" from a half-asleep Hermione, she shrugged and marched up the stairs, yawning all the way.

"Harry," Hermione turned to Harry, poking him gently on his arm to see if he was still awake. When he didn't respond, she smiled a little and brushed the hair back from his now-black forehead. She leaned in and kissed his scar, praying that he didn't have any violent dreams. As soon as she pulled back, he smiled and pulled her back to him, opening his still-bright eyes.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, laughing a bit.

"I can't sleep so easily after tonight," he answered, pulling her to him. She leaned against his chest, sighing.

"Why not? The others can," she answered, looking up at him. Even upside down, he looks handsome, she thought.

"Yeah, but the others aren't scared of Voldemort coming after them," he answered somberly, running his hand gently up and down her arms. She sat up and looked at him.

After a second, he leaned in and kissed her, tenderly at first but deepening it as it progressed. She felt all his emotions pour out in his actions as he slowly lay her down on the couch. He pulled away, staring into her chestnut eyes.

Still no words. Her hands went to his cheeks, caressing them with her thumbs, then pulling his face down to hers for another kiss. It was forceful. She felt horrible about everything that was happening to him. Voldemort, haunting dreams, people pointing at his scar, people close to him getting hurt, facing near-death every year. Her arms went protectively around his neck, never wanting to release.

She squeezed her eyes shut and, much to her surprise, a single tear spilled out. He pulled away once more, and a thought crossed his mind as she studied him. She's crying for me.

It was too much for him. They could try to go at her next. Or Ron. Or Lupin, or Sirius. How many more near-deaths, actual deaths, how much more suffering, until it was all over?

His vision blurred, and Hermione didn't move. She just looked at him, sadness in her eyes. He tried to blink them back, but they spilled out instead. He silently cursed the tears.

"Its all right, Harry," she whispered as he tried to look away. She pulled him down for a lingering kiss and he buried his face in her neck. She stroked his hair and back, whispering soothing words in his ear. Eventually, both drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The O.W.L 's were approaching fast. On top of all the things that were already going on, Harry Potter had yet another demon staring him in the face: exams.

"Next question: What is the result of combining Coltsfoot with Wolfsbane?" Hermione asked.

"Who cares?" Ron asked in a monotone voice, throwing his quill down in anger.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished angrily. "Harry?"

"Oh, um, the Wolfsbane Potion?" he guessed.

"Nope," she sighed. "Wrong again."

"Who cares?" he repeated Ron as he let his head fall down onto his textbooks. The words were swimming in front of his eyes. His mind was jumbled with different potions and their ingredients, with different ways to charm a person, with varying ways to defend yourself against an intruder. It was all too much. He was surprised even Hermione wasn't breaking down under all this.

"It makes the Diiudico Potion, Harry," she corrected him automatically, jotting down notes.

"All right," he mumbled. Hermione reached over and tugged on his hair, making him look up.

"What potion was that again?" she asked, glaring at him.

"The Diiudico Potion. I heard you," he assured her and put his head down on top of the textbooks again.

"Moving ON," Hermione said, "how do you make an Animagus reveal his or her true form?"

"Oh, I know this one!" Ron exclaimed, shooting up. Hermione looked at him approvingly, clearly expecting the right answer. His face scrunched up as he thought hard for a minute. Then, he fell back, muttering, "No I don't."

"Honestly! Don't you two EVER pay attention in class?" she asked, put off by how little they knew. "The answer is, 'Principalis Conformus."

"Fine," both boys said in unison.

"And do you know what the equivalent to the Killing Curse is?" she forged on, clearly not giving up.

"Adflatus Quietum," Harry said, lifting his head up.

"Yes," she answered, staring at him. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, um, Dumbledore told me," Harry answered.

"You know what's weird?" Ron suddenly asked, sitting up again and looking at them.

"What?" they chorused.

"If Lucius told his son to spy on you a while ago, then maybe Draco saw Snuffles at Hogsmeade," Ron said thoughtfully.

"Ron, please! We've just been through one thing! Can we please not talk about this right now?" Hermione pleaded. As she spoke, the fire from the previous night appeared in her mind, consuming Hagrid's house, a place that contained a lot of their memories.

Ron gave her a sympathetic look. "All right, 'Mione," he agreed, flashing her a quick smile to make sure everything was OK. She mustered a small smile back, and he went back to leaning against the couch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Now! As your wands are under an anti-cheating spell, even if you tried, you couldn't cheat. But I warn you not to try. The results can be... devastating," Remus Lupin said with a devilish smirk on his face.

"You may begin." Indeed, the O.W.L 's had begun.

"Your first task will be to defeat a Sawmium. Mr.Finch-Fletchley, you first," Lupin called. As he talked, he walked over to a large tank resting in the corner of the room and opened the tarp over it to reveal the ugly creature itself, attached to the wall with its face twisted into a mischievous grin.

Justin got up and, wand aimed and ready, slowly walked toward the container that separated him and the Sawmium, the container that he was extremely thankful for.

I am capable of flight as I please

People find me rare

I am accustomed to living near large trees

If you come too close, it is you I will tear.

When I open my mouth, flames lick the sky

If you have not met me before, beware.

Justin was quiet, thinking hard. The rest of the class was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Not blinking, they stared at their now-nervous fellow classmate, struggling to answer a hideous creature's hard riddle.

"Um, is it a..." Justin started, but promptly shut his mouth, thinking again.

"Come on, Mr. Finch-Fletchley! We studied this!" Lupin said, trying to encourage the boy who was getting closer and closer to a panic attack. "You can do this!"

"I-I... um, could you repeat it, please?" he asked, swallowing hard. The class looked in unison at the Sawmium, which groaned, an ugly throaty sound, and repeated the riddle.

"Come on, Justin! You don't want to keep a Sawmium waiting!" Lupin warned. As he said it, the Sawmium was rearing back slowly, the grin back in place. Justin had evidently seen this, because he started trembling very slightly.

"A-a dragon?" he guessed, stuttering.

"What kind of dragon?" Lupin shouted, his wand poised in case the Sawmium ran out of patience.

"Um, I uh, a, um," Justin stammered. He took a deep breath.

"Is it a, uh, Yugoslavian Yelloweye?" he guessed, now sweating buckets. As they all watched, the Sawmium stopped moving backwards, and the grin disappeared off its face. It zoomed forward, making Justin's eyes grow wide, attached itself to the wall of the box, and gruffly say, "That's correct." As it said this, one of its razor-sharp blades on its nose fell with a clatter to the floor. After a minute, the class applauded a grinning Justin as he shakily made his way back to his seat. As the exam progressed (and Hermione got her answer so quickly that the Sawmium didn't even have time to grin), it was soon Harry's turn.

"Mr. Potter!" Lupin called. Harry got up and, looking more confident than he felt, walked up to the glass box.

"Good luck," Lupin whispered.

"Thanks," Harry whispered back. He turned back to the Sawmium and it shot its riddle at him:

You may not see me, but I see you

I am ever watchful of all around me

My skin is a blue as rich as the rivers

When I was born, visions I had of three

I do not miss anything one does

The hands I was slain by belonged to Hermus

A light bulb lit up in Harry's brain, and he wanted to run over and kiss Hermione for forcing this into his brain repeatedly when he had not gotten it.

"Argus Panoptes," he answered confidently, shooting a sideways glance at a smiling Lupin and a grinning Hermione. He turned back to the Sawmium just in time to see its face fall.

"You are correct," it answered, mad that it hadn't gotten a chance to rip anyone to bits. Another blade clattered to the floor as Harry walked back to his desk, grinning at Ron's thumbs-up sign.

As good as he had done in Defense Against the Dark Arts (in both the normal and advanced levels), he did just as abysmally in Divination. They had to look into a Futurall, which Harry vaguely remembered receiving as a present from Lavender Brown. Harry, who had no idea what he was doing, was supposed to look into the Futurall, relay which moons were aligned at that very moment, and what that signified.

"I see Pluto's moon, Sharon, aligned with Jupiter's moon, Orica," he made up (he wasn't Harry Potter, best friend of Ron Weasley, the duo famous for making up predictions in Divination, for nothing) as he stared at the shapeless cloud of gray swirling around in the picture Professor Trelawney held in her hands.

"And what does that mean, Harry?" her misty voice floated over to him from across the circular table in her room. Harry's eyes fluttered shut from fatigue for a moment before they snapped open and he said, trying to remember something Hermione had told him, "It means that a baby will be born somewhere in the world, while a man will die at the exact same moment exactly halfway across the world."

He glanced at Trelawney.

"Good, Mr. Potter," she approved, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"You may go." He thought he'd never hear those beautiful words as he got up to leave and passed Ron along the way. As they crossed, Ron muttered hurriedly to Harry, "Uranus' moon with Earth's. Means that someone will fall in love and a close relative will embark on a journey."

"That's good!" Harry exclaimed softly, grinning. Ron grinned back and stepped into the stifling room as Harry exited, heaving a sigh of immense relief.

"Onto better things. How was Arithmancy?" Ron asked Hermione as they headed to Lunch after a very tiring Transfiguration exam, where they were asked to turn a porcupine into a book (Neville's still had spikes down the spine), a cat into a backpack (Ron's had fur along the edges) and a parrot into a radio (Seamus's still squawked). Needless to say, everyone was tired and famished.

"It was very easy! I needn't have learned about geometry used during the Goblin Rebellions or shape configurations needed for the Dragon Wars!" Hermione answered, shaking her head.

"Uh, right," Ron replied and shook his head. "Where did we go wrong, Harry? We tried to fill her mind with garbage as much as possible, and she turns around and disappoints us like this." Harry laughed.

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, a smile evident.

As soon as they sat down at their tables in the Great Hall, to everyone's surprise and great happiness, the food immediately appeared. Dumbledore rose and simply said, "Dig in!" But everyone was already doing just that.

"Farms if nexf!" Ron said through a mouthful of turkey.

"Do you mind swallowing, Ron?" Hermione asked disgustedly. "I really don't need to see your chewed-up food, thank you." Ron grinned, cheeks bulging, and swallowed.

"Charms is next," he said, mouth clear of food. Hermione nodded.

"I personally think its going to go well," Harry commented. Ron stared at him.

"What makes you think THAT?" he asked.

"What with all the spells I've learned already, I could pass Charms for the next ten years!" Harry said.

"True," Ron agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Herbology's OVER!" Ron sang the last word jubilantly, stretching his arms out wide and accidentally smacking a camera-clicking Colin Creevey in the face.

"Oops, sorry," he hastily added, smiling before rushing off to catch up with Hermione and Harry.

"I saw that!" Harry said, stifling laughter unsuccessfully. Hermione wasn't even trying.

"Who cares? I don't care! Know why? Herbology's OVER!" Ron repeated, grinning.

"Glad to know you care, but it's time for Potions, Cheery," Harry said, breaking Ron of his happy trance.

"You REALLY know how to ruin a guy's mood, you know that?" he said grouchily.

"Sometimes I think I was put on this Earth to ruin Ron Weasley's mood," Harry joked as they entered the dungeons. Snape, as usual, was waiting by the desk, drumming his fingers on top of it impatiently.

"Stupid Snape," Ron muttered as they took a seat in the middle of the first row.

"You will find the instructions on the parchment in front of you. Don't even think of cheating as the parchment is for your eyes only. After you are done, I will come around and test each person's results on themselves, so I suggest you do a good job. You may begin." With that, Snape sat himself behind his desk and started scribbling.

With a heavy sigh, Harry and Ron shuffled to the cabinets against the wall for their ingredients, joining the rest of the class swarming there.

"Single file!" Snape barked, making everyone jump. Simultaneously, the crowd shifted itself into a neat line, causing Snape to turn back to his papers.

"What potion do you have to make?" Ron leaned over and whispered to Harry as he waited for Pansy Parkinson to finish with the Boomslang.

"The Eutharsos Potion, you?" Harry whispered back as Malfoy shoved a jar of Finica Leaves into his ribs with a devilish grin before walking off.

"The Prophylaxis Potion," Ron muttered, scooping up Budbloom powder with his measuring cup. The two made their way back to their table and proceeded to add the ingredients into their cauldron and hope that they didn't fail Potions.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"McGonagall said you failed all your exams except her class," Harry sneaked up behind Hermione, who was reading 'One Thousand Ways To De-Worm a Island Flowerworm'.

"What?!" she exclaimed, dropping the book and stand up to face him, a horrified look on her face. Harry laughed as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"Harry! That's NOT funny!" she exclaimed, sitting down and picking up he book. "Honestly. You can be so immature sometimes."

"I know. It's a talent," he said, putting his feet up near her and lying back with his hands behind his head.

"Sure, but your feet aren't, so would you mind moving them?" she asked, shoving them off the couch.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, sitting up. She laughed and turned back to her book.

"Come on," he said suddenly, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.

"Where are we going?" she asked, surprise clearly written on her face as she placed her book down once more.

"It's a surprise. Just come on," he urged, pulling her up. She stood and curiously followed him out the common room door and down the steps at the Entrance Hall.

"You have to close your eyes," he instructed, turning around.

Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because, Hermione! Just do it! Please?" he asked in a small voice. She stared at him for a minute, sighed resignedly, and closed her eyes. He took her hand and led her away from the looming towers of Hogwarts.

Hermione heard his footsteps leading her to this mysterious thing. She was very curious as to what it would be.

"Open your eyes," Harry whispered in her ear from behind.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth.

The lake was sparkling under the spring sun, the giant squid stroking lazily from side to side. The towering tree was blooming, tiny buds of brilliant pink blossoming into beautiful flowers that, with every gently breeze, shuddered lightly and some petals fell to the ground onto the grass below. The petals decorated the green blanket perfectly and contrasted with the periwinkle blue sky.

"Harry..." Hermione trailed off, unable to utter any words about the scene of immense beauty and tranquility lying before her eyes.

"I thought you needed to get away from studying for a while, no matter how much you like it. Granted, we only have about twenty minutes before we have to go back to it, but I thought you'd enjoy it anyway," Harry said softly. She turned and grinned before walking forward. As she went, the branches of the tree bent low to brush the top of her head. She reached up and carefully picked off a flawless pink flower.

As she breathed in its sweet scent, she walked to the edge of the lake, smiling.

"Its beautiful," she said.

"Almost as beautiful as you," Harry answered, walking up next to her. She turned around and pulled him into a loving hug, then released him and leaned her head on his shoulder as they stared out at the squid causing slight ripples in the mirror of water.

"You are the sweetest person on Earth," she said, looking up into his emerald eyes.

"I know, but it's nice to hear it from my girlfriend every once in a while," Harry said, grinning. She laughed, and Harry took the flower from her hand and moved in front of her, placing it above her left ear perfectly. She turned her head and kissed his palm softly before she directed her gaze back into his deep eyes.

"Don't get cocky. If you grow a big head like Malfoy's, I'll dump you," she threatened, smiling. Harry grinned again, then bent down and captured her mouth in a kiss that tasted to her like her favorite ice cream, vanilla.

"Decided that actions can more than words, did you?" she laughed, pulling back slowly.

"You don't miss a thing," he responded before taking control of her lips once more. She moved her hand to the back of his head while the other played with the collar of his shirt underneath his robes. Suddenly, Hermione felt something wet splash her back. She gasped and pulled away, turning around quickly while feeling the dampness.

She observed the giant squid, now much closer to the shore, and heard Harry laughing behind her.

"You think that's funny?" she asked, turning back to him and raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah!" Harry exclaimed. "I mean, how often does the squid do something like THAT?" Hermione narrowed her eyes venomously, and Harry put his hands up in defense. She quickly turned back to see that the sea animal had moved to the middle of the lake and was resuming its laps. She swiftly turned around to see that Harry was gone.

"Harry!" she yelled and then asked to herself, "Where did you go?" while looking in all directions. Suddenly, a puddle of ice-cold water soaked her already wet back. She screamed and fleetingly turned around to see Harry shaking with laughter before more water went in her face and down the front of her clothes. In a matter of seconds, it had soaked all the way through.

"Harry, how fast do you run?" Hermione asked through gritted teeth, wiping dripping water from her face.

"Somewhat fast, why?" he asked in between laughter.

"Because it’ll give you some time before I KILL you!" she screamed, watching with joy as the smile faded off his face. Without warning, she charged after him. He darted out of the way and ran in the opposite direction. She ran after him, laughing.

"Hermione! Stop!" Harry gasped after a while, but continued to run around in circles while she sped after him.

"No way!" she exclaimed as she ran after him, picking up a bit of speed and smiling evilly at the same time. Up ahead, Harry stopped and turned toward her, panting.

"Surrendering so soon?" she asked, slowing down as she neared him, wondering if he was up to something.

"No," he answered. As she approached him somewhat cautiously, he took the chance and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a yelp, but he wasn't going to let go so soon.

"I see the tables have turned," he commented nonchalantly, then proceeded to tickle her. She laughed until her sides hurt and tears formed in her eyes, but even then he wouldn't stop. Harry's fingers were too quick, moving across her stomach to produce an unbelievably tickling sensation.

"Stop! Please!" she gasped in between fits of laughter.

"Oh, but this is too much fun!" he replied, not even pausing. She wriggled her hand underneath her robes, pulling out her wand. She pointed it at Harry' stomach and squeezed out, "Rictusempra!" Instantly, she felt his arms loosen around her waist, then completely let go.

She took a few deep breaths, thanking God for oxygen. Turning to her side, she saw Harry laughing uncontrollably on the ground, clutching at his stomach. She laughed, and then winced slightly as she grasped her side.

Hermione knelt beside him, grinning widely.

"Having fun?" she asked innocently.

"Take it..." Harry started, but was cut off by another burst of laughter.

"Take it...up a notch? Take it...further?" she started guessing.

"STOP, Hermione!" Harry yelled in between the hysterics as he tried to stand up, but fell back down. She laughed, clearly enjoying this. Facing him, she aimed her wand at his stomach.

"Hmm... now WHAT was that spell again?" she mused, pretending to think hard. She looked at Harry, who was flushed and rolling on the floor with a promised torture in his eyes.

"All RIGHT," she said in an exasperated tone. "Finite Incantatem."

Harry slowly stopped laughing, his cheeks pink, and stared up at Hermione murderously.

"Hey, if you kill me, not ONLY will you lose your beloved girlfriend, but Hogwarts will lose its best witch in all these years. Think of the greater good," she joked, grinning.

"I had something else in mind," Harry said, finally able to sit up properly. He forged forward and pushed her slowly to the ground. She felt the soft grass tickling her underneath, but did nothing except stare up at Harry and smirk.

"Now, since I have suffered so, I think it's fair that I get my way for a little while, don't you think?" he asked quizzically.

"Not really," Hermione replied, shaking her head.

"Well, I do," he said, grinning mischievously. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. She ran her hands up his arms, welcoming his comforting touch.

"It's a little too hot for the robes, don't you think?" she asked, pulling away and smiling slyly.

"Are you suggesting something, Ms. Goody-Goody Granger?" Harry asked amusedly.

"Why? Would you like me to, MR. Potter?" Hermione questioned with a hint of laughter in her voice. Harry laughed and shrugged off his thick black robes. Hermione raised her head to claim his mouth again. He pushed her robes off, but had some difficulty removing it from underneath her. As he tossed it aside, her tongue connected with his, and so it went, entangled with his.

"Harry! Harry!" a voice called with a tinge of urgency. Harry held on to Hermione, trying to pretend that this was not happening.

"Harry, someone's coming," Hermione said somewhat crossly and pulled away from his embrace reluctantly.

"Why does that always happen?" he grumbled, clearly annoyed. She laughed softly and brushed back his raven hair from his forehead.

"We should get up," she whispered and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"Yeah," he sighed heavily and pushed off. They were pulling on their robes when Ron came running through the clearing.

"Harry!" he exclaimed. "Dumbledore told me I might find you here... Hermione, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, um," Hermione swallowed nervously. "I-I was showing Harry," she paused very briefly, the wheels in her mind turning as she tried to conjure up a plausible excuse. "How to take care of plants properly. For Herbology."

"Yeah. I had a question and Madam Sprout explained it in a way that I did NOT get," Harry added hastily.

"I know what you mean," Ron answered, much to Harry and Hermione's relief. "Oh, I almost forgot what I came here for! There are Aurors here to investigate the attack on Hagrid's house!"

"Really? Have they found anything? What about the mark behind his house on the grass?" Harry asked anxiously as him and Hermione hurried alongside Ron to Hagrid's rebuilt hut.

"I don't know yet! They were whispering to each other in huddles when I came to find you," Ron replied as they walked to the hut by the Forbidden Forest.

"What's going on, Hagrid?" Hermione asked nervously, half not wanting to know as she surveyed the surroundings.

"Aurors," he grunted, gesturing with his hand to the mass of people in black robes swarming around Hagrid's home. "Real invasion of privacy, if yeh ask me."

"Have they found anything?" Harry asked, eyes fixed on the people milling around with vials and bottles, along with wands, in their hands.

"They think the mark on the back of me house was made by a very powerful curse," Hagrid explained, wringing his overlarge hands. "Say it was to try an' attack me, but it missed somehow an' went on the ground instead."

"That's horrible!" Hermione exclaimed, now staring at the Aurors too.

"Mr. Hagrid," a very formidable-looking wizard in deep purple robes of plush velvet approached, holding his wand along with a pad of parchments.

"Yes?" Hagrid asked, looking down at the man with an edge in his voice.

"David Cinervus. We have found out that the mark was caused by a very powerful curse, and it will probably remain there for a while. No need to worry. Also, there is a spot on the back wall of your house that shows that the spell was originally aimed at your house. It refuses to leave, even though your house IS rebuilt. Much to our surprise, and probably the attacker's, it bounced off the wall and hit the ground instead. The fire it caused was simply an after-effect, that's all. We are still trying to figure out why this occurred, but try to be patient with us. This IS for your own good," he explained monotonously, flipping through the stack of parchments in his hand.

"How long will it take?" Hagrid asked, hands clenched at his sides.

"I'm not exactly sure. Please do try to bear in mind that we toil so that you can live in peace. Time is not an issue here. By the way, sir," the Auror added casually, "we will need to search the inside of your living quarters."

"What for!?" Hagrid boomed, his temper that had been under control starting to seep out.

"Your fireplace is connected to the Floo Network, correct?" Mr. Cinervus pushed the question aside.

"Yeah, so?" Hagrid asked.

"We have to see if your fireplace had been tried to access before the attack," he explained smoothly. "It might provide us with some important information."

"How long are yeh gonna continue this?" Hagrid asked, his voice even but slightly shaking with hostility.

"As long as we need to keep you, your canine, and the rest of the people here at Hogwarts safe, sir," David answered, glancing up from his notes briefly to flash them a quick smile. "We do appreciate your approval. Thank you." With that, he turned around, his cloak swishing behind him, and walked off.

"Hagrid, you've got to stay calm," Ron warned, glancing at the other two nervously.

"They're doing this for you," Harry said, looking up at the half- giant.

"Yer right. I can't let me anger get the bes' o' me," Hagrid answered, taking deep breaths and unclenching his hands.

"Guys, it's almost dinner time," Ron alerted, glancing at his wristwatch.

"We should go," Harry agreed. Before they walked off, however, Harry turned to Hagrid and said, in hopes of cheering him up, "It's OK, Hagrid. They'll be gone soon enough, and you'll have your hosue all to yourself. Plus, there won't be any more attacks. That's good, right?"

Hagrid glanced down at his friend and smiled.

"Yer right, Harry. I guess I can bear those things in me house fer a little bit," he replied heavily.

"Glad to hear it," Harry smiled back and followed Ron and Hermione back to their school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Father, here is the information you requested. I hope that this provide sufficient. Yours sincerely, Draco.

Draco Malfoy signed his name with a flourish, grinning. Once this information reached his father, Draco wonderered what Lucius would do with it, but whatever it was, Draco hoped that Potter got in trouble. Precious Potter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"They're over! They're over! Took long enough, too!" Ron declared triumphantly as he settled in between Harry and Dean and piled bacon strips onto his plate. "I hope I did OK. Don’t want any unnecessary trouble with mum and dad."

"Well, the Dursleys could care less what I have for breakfast, much less anything else," Harry added, rolling his eyes as he served himself some scrambled eggs.

Suddenly, the owls swooped in from every direction, signaling the arrival of mail. Harry quickly searched for his snow-white pet, but when he didn't see her, resumed eating.

"Tha's funny," Ron said through a bacon strip hanging halfway from his mouth.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I've never seen a letter like this before," he answered, biting the strip in half.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking at the black envelope in Ron's hand. Ron turned it over in his hand, and Harry saw a wax white skeleton seal on the back.

"Well, the envelopes I usually get are white," Ron explained, reaching to open it. He hesitated.

"What are you waiting for? A prize?" Hermione asked, staring at him.

"Well, what if it's something dangerous?" Ron asked skeptically.

"Ron, there are teachers all around," Harry replied.

"Right." Ron nodded, then ripped the envelope open. He pulled out a piece of white parchment and unfolded it.

"It's from Snape," he answered, his eyes running over the letter.

"What does it say?" Hermione asked, leaning over.

"He wants to see me after breakfast," Ron replied.

"Why?" Harry asked, confused. Ron hadn't smart-mouthed Snape in weeks, a huge achievement for him.

"Maybe because I let some of the Sky Slugs loose after class yesterday," Ron responded sheepishly.

"Ron!" Hermione started, then thought better of it and just rolled her eyes at him.

"What? Gryffindor lost seventy points in one class! I can't stand him! Each day, it gets worse," Ron growled, placing down his letter. Harry glanced up at the Staff table to notice that Snape was not present.

"Well, better get this over with," Ron sighed heavily as he stood up, collecting a piece of buttered toast in his hand. "See you guys in class."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was ten minutes into Divination, and Ron still hadn't returned from his meeting with Snape. Harry sat by himself at one of the small tables, trying to decipher a set of symbols that appeared on his Mystic Mirror, a large rectangular object that flashed different colors as each symbol wrote itself out intricately on the surface. Harry still hadn't figured out its purpose, but it was apparent that Lavender and Parvati had, for they were giggling excitedly as they consulted their textbooks to make sense of the characters on the Mirror.

"Harry," a voice inquired, causing Harry to look up from his textbook, where he was trying to figure out what the sign that looked like an injured cow was, and saw Lavender Brown hovering over him, wringing her hands and shuffling her feet.

"Yeah, Lavender?" Harry asked, staring up at her.

"Have you seen Ron?" she asked.

"No. He's still at his meeting with Snape," Harry answered, frowning.

"Really?" Lavender asked, giving Harry a frown back. "All right. Thanks, Harry." She walked off. Harry was about to glance back down when Professor Trelawney appeared at the front of the musty room.

"All right, my children. Once you are done, please come up to me and I will help you decide what the message will have on your futures." She paused to gasp dramatically.

"What, Professor?" Parvati asked in a hushed voice.

"One of our kin is in grave danger," she whispered, glancing at Harry. Harry's mind went out to Ron for a split second, but jolted right back to Trelawney's glazed stare. Harry knew better than to believe her, the woman who had predicted his demise many times.

"All right," Harry muttered and returned to his textbook to decode the final symbol. He could feel the Divination teacher floating around, examining the students' work.

"Aha!" Harry whispered to himself and he figured out the last symbol. He quickly jotted it down on the parchment beside the Mirror, and then paused to read his decoding:

"A being close to you has been converted."

"What?" Harry asked, utterly confused. His question caused Trelawney to wander over and read the message the Mirror had given him.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, hands flying to her mouth.

"Does the Mirror tell the truth, Professor?" Parvati asked. Harry glanced up to see her behind him, reading over his shoulder. He was starting to get annoyed.

"Always, my dear," Trelawney whispered.

After what seemed to Harry like a very crowded Divination class, he met up with Hermione near the portrait of the ever-annoying Sir Cadogan by the seventh-floor hallway. Hermione jumped up on her tiptoes and quickly kissed him on the cheek, causing him to grin.

"Have you talked to Ron?" she asked as they headed down the winding stairs.

"No, he wasn't in class," Harry said, then proceeded to explain the message the Mirror had given him and Trelawney's prediction.

"Its just a coincidence, Harry. All a load of rubbish," Hermione waved it off. Harry agreed, but a small voice in the back of his mind told him differently.

"Potter!" McGonagall's voice resounded behind Harry. The two quickly turned around to see the Transfiguration teacher hurrying towards them.

"Oh, good. Ms. Granger, you're here too. There's something you two need to see," McGonagall told them, hurrying past them. Hermione shot Harry a worried look before they followed the Professor to Snape's office.

Professor McGonagall hurried over to the desk and picked up a blood- red parchment from atop the polished surface. She handed it to Harry, who was joined my Hermione at his shoulder as they read the glaring white letters:

RON IS WITH ME NOW, HARRY. IT WOULD BE WISE FOR YOU TO JOIN, AS THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND ANYMORE.

Mr. Riddle

Hermione gasped. Harry was speechless. He had never even dreamed that this would happen.

"Ow!" he gasped, the piece of parchment fluttering to the floor as his hands flew up to his infamous scar. The pain hit him all at once.

"Harry! Are you OK?" Hermione asked, her hands on his shoulders.

"My scar," he managed to get out before the pain took over completely.

No. Not this time. Try to fight the pain, he thought forcibly to himself, even though all he wanted to do was collapse. He inhaled sharply and fought to keep his breakfast down as a wave of nausea swept over him. He dropped to his knees and forced himself to take deep breaths, his head pounding.

"Harry." her voice seemed so distant, even though she was right next to him. Harry closed his eyes and tried to distract his mind from the pain. After a few seconds, it slowly subsided, and he was able to open his eyes and stand up shakily on his feet again.

"Voldemort's nearby," he said, blinking several times to clear his head.

"Do you know where?" McGonagall asked in a worried tone. Harry shook his head.

"Sorry to interrupt, Professor," an oily voice came from the doorway, causing all three heads to turn.

"What is it, Argus?" McGonagall asked.

"I found this Daily Prophet on the stairs on the second floor. Just wondering if it was yours," he replied, surveying Harry and Hermione with his beady eyes.

"No, Argus. Its not mine," McGonagall answered, sighing. Suddenly, Harry noticed the paper give off a strange glow for a second before returning to its faded self.

"I-its mine, Mr. Filch," Harry said quickly. "I must've dropped it going down to breakfast." Filch didn't respond, only scowled at Harry. Harry silently prayed Filch would believe him.

"REALLY, Potter?" he asked at last, raising the paper to his face and examining it closely, as if trying to find something extraordinary with it.

"Really, sir," Harry replied in a sense of urgency. If his idea was correct.

At last, Filch handed the tattered paper over to Harry. Then, with a last glance, he left.

"Professor," Harry asked, examining the paper, "how do you know if an object's a Portkey?"

"Well, the people who place Portkeys at their locations usually inform the citizens nearby," she answered. "Like last year for the Quidditch World Cup."

"No, I mean, what if no one knew it was a Portkey, but it still was? Is there any way to find out if it is?" he asked, prodding the roll with his finger.

"Well, not that I know of. But Professor Dumbledore might," McGonagall said. "I'll go ask him. You wait here, Potter. Ms. Granger, stay with him." She hurried to the door.

"Harry, do you think this is a Portkey?" Hermione asked, lightly running her fingers over the faded letters on the newspaper. Without warning, Harry felt the familiar jerk behind his navel, and felt himself being pulled forward by the newspaper. Hermione's shoulder bumped against his own painfully as they traveled forward to their unknown location.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ouch!" Hermione landed with a thud next to Harry. They lay there for a moment, collecting their thoughts. Then, Hermione turned to Harry.

"Yep, I think its definitely a Portkey, Hermione," Harry managed to get out.

"Any idea where we are?" she asked.

"Not the slightest," he replied. Slowly standing up, he extended a hand to Hermione, who gratefully took it. Once she was up, Harry took the time to examine his surroundings. The sky was a stormy gray, rain threatening to spill at any moment. A strong breeze whipped around them. Somewhere nearby, waves crashed against the shore in angst.

As they walked, the ground beneath them was rocky and rough, inclining uphill. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and drew close to him.

"I don't like this place at all," she said softly.

"Me neither," Harry replied. He glanced over the side of the path and saw the waves he had heard. Not one living person could be seen.

"Whoa," he muttered.

"That's creepy," Hermione said, who had followed Harry's gaze.

"This whole place is creepy," he answered, glancing back up the hill. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything past the stretch of rocky ground.

"We're on some sort of cliff surrounded by the sea," Hermione observed. "I hope Ron's OK," she added.

"Me too," Harry answered. They ascended the rest of the hill in silence, occasionally looking around them in search of a change. There was none.

After what seemed like an eternity, the ground seemed to level out. Harry and Hermione stopped, slightly gasping for breath.

"Hermione, look!" Harry whispered, pointing up to the top of the hill, which leveled out to a dangerously jutting cliff. They both hid behind a lone, dying bush nearby and watched.

The circle of hooded people seemed to shift restlessly together, their heads staying bent and their hands clasped in front of them. In the blink of an eye, a tall figure appeared in front of the mass of black, hood drawn up over its head.

"My men," the cold, high voice boomed over the crashing of the waves.

"Ah!" Harry whispered, clutching his scar once more. Through the pain, he opened his eyes and looked at the tall figure.

"Is that Voldemort, Harry?" Hermione whispered, fear evident in her voice. Harry could only nod. His eyes were fixed on the display up ahead as his scar throbbed dully.

"Tonight, we gather to induct a new member into our clan. A member who will provide most useful to our plans," Voldemort announced. "Bring him, Wormtail," he ordered to a hunched-over form standing next to him.

"Y-yes, Master," Wormtail stuttered pathetically as he shuffled away. A tense silence ensued and, a few moments later, Wormtail hurried back, holding a tall, lanky form by one hand. The stranger complied soundlessly and allowed himself to be led to the gathering, where he was placed in front of Lord Voldemort. Then, Wormtail retreated to his previous position.

"Kneel!" Voldemort commanded. Immediately, the figure obeyed by going down on both knees, his hands clasped in front of him. Voldemort raised his hands high, the sleeves falling back to reveal his thin, bony fingers with long fingernails, and slowly lowered his hood.

The bright, red snake-like eyes were visible more than anything else. It drew Hermione's attention and caused her to gasp softly. The bald head, covered in scaly skin, was not as noticeable. The thin slit for a mouth opened once more, and a gray forked tongue was barely visible as he spoke.

"It is time for your induction," he informed the figure. "Are you ready?" The person nodded deeply.

"Crucio!" Voldemort cried, his wand appearing in his hand, pointed at the figure. The mysterious individual fell back, clutching himself in visible pain.

"Oh my god," Hermione whispered, her hands over her mouth. As he fell back on the ground, the hood slipped off. The fiery hair, the freckles.

"RON!" Hermione exclaimed quietly.

"Ssh," Harry whispered, even though he was just as shocked and hurt to see his best friend writhing on the ground in pain, gritting his teeth against the scream that threatened to rip out of him. After a few moments, Ron was finally able to kneel again, shaking all over. He resumed his bowing position, hood forgotten. The circle did not shift.

"No screams," Voldemort said impressively, twirling his wand in one hand. "Not bad."

"Thank you, my Lord," Ron replied, bowing deeply again.

"My LORD?" Harry repeated, confused.

"Voldemort must've put Ron under some sort of controlling spell," Hermione answered, her level of shock continuing to escalate.

"Are you ready for your task?" Voldemort asked, looking down upon Ron in a superior fashion.

"Yes, my Lord," Ron replied.

"Very good. Now, we have some uninvited guests with us tonight," he said. The whole circle of Death Eaters seemed to tense up as one. Harry and Hermione sincerely hoped he was talking about someone in the circle as they watched with a mixture of anxiety and dread.

"And it seems that they would rather remain hidden than come say a friendly hello," the Dark Lord continued. Now, all of the Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably.

"They did manage to arrive on time, however. So I think that they deserve a thank you for that. Wormtail, please go get them. If I'm not mistaken, they're right over there behind that bush."

Harry and Hermione barely had time to blink before they were being led forcefully by Wormtail to the center of activity.

"Let go of me!" Hermione exclaimed, fighting against Wormtail's surprisingly hard grip.

"I don't think so, dear. We're going to have some fun," Wormtail said gleefully in her ear.

"Ugh, get off!" she replied disgustedly. Struggling all the way but not able to do anything about it, both of them were brought to a stop in front of the menacing wizard.

"How delightful of you to join us!" Voldemort exclaimed amusedly.

"What did you do to Ron?" Harry said fiercely.

"Your precious friend is perfectly fine. Take a look for yourself, if you like," Voldemort replied. "Let go of them, Wormtail."

"Yes, sir," Wormtail immediately stepped back, hands clasped again. Harry's hand, ever so slowly, reached inside his sleeve for his wand. As he felt the cool wood against his palm, Voldemort began to speak again, in the voice that sent shivers down Harry's spine.

"I see you found the Portkey properly. Very smart of you. I suppose Ms. Granger figured it out?" he asked.

"Actually, it was the both of us. Now tell us what you did to Ron," Hermione said through gritted teeth. Harry's fingers grasped around the wand and he started to slowly retrieve it with his fingers as the exchange continued.

"No need to get angry, Ms. Granger," Voldemort answered, now smiling slightly. "I assure you, by the time we are done here, everyone, especially me, will be happy. Expelliarmus!" he suddenly pointed his wand at Harry, whose wand, which had been in his palm, went flying smoothly into Voldemort's outstretched hand as Harry went flying and landed hard on his back.

"Ow!" he gasped softly. He heard Hermione call out his name, but didn't bother to respond as the pain shot through him. He lay there for a split second, then forced his eyes open and his body to stand up and walk back over next to Hermione. He tried to hide his wincing.

"Ooh, VERY good, Mr. Potter! A full speedy recovery!" Voldemort commented. Abruptly, he turned to Ron.

"Are you ready for your task?" he asked Ron, who bowed deeply.

"Stand up!" the wizard ordered. Ron stood at once.

"Come closer!" he raised his voice. Ron shuffled close to the tall figure. Voldemort bent down and whispered something in Ron's ear, causing Ron to nod and smirk. When he was done, Voldemort stood erect once more as Ron turned toward them. There was a pause as everyone stood still, Harry and Hermione facing off to their best friend. The wind whistled as the waves crashed.

Ron raised his hand and pointed it at Harry.

"Ron, wait!" Harry yelled.

There was a spilt second of hesitation before Ron cried, "Crucio!"

"Ron, NO!" Hermione screamed, but it was too late. Harry's knees buckled as he prepared to dodge, but he moved too late. As he fell to the side, the curse had already begun to take effect. The pain pierced his body, causing him to thrash on the hard, jagged ground, which caused even more pain. He felt a particularly sharp stone jutting out of the ground tear the right sleeve of his robes. A warm liquid seeped out and he could feel it trailing down his arm. He heard Voldemort laughing nearby as a scream welled up in his throat. As he couldn't hold it in anymore, he heard Ron laughing, a soft, emotionless sound. In a split second, Harry decided that he would not scream, to not show his weakness to the man he hated most in the world.

After a few more moments of excruciating pain, Harry was able to open his eyes. Groaning inwardly, every bone in his tired body aching, and shaking all over, he raised himself to his knees. He saw a blur of movement. Blinking rapidly, he saw Hermione moving forward.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped.

"Stand back, you silly girl!" Voldemort growled with a wave of his wand. Hermione went flying back, then abruptly stopped, suspended in midair at the edge. The look on her face of pure panic caused Harry to get to his feet.

"Let her go," he said, trying to be as calm as possible. "And let Ron go too."

"Easier said than done," Voldemort said, then cackled. "You would like for that to happen, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, I am the master around here, so what I say goes. And I say, Crucio!"

Harry leapt out of the way just in time. He felt a slight breeze by his left ear as the jet of red light went past. As Harry didn't have his wand handy, all he could do was dodge as Voldemort uttered curse after curse.

"Last time we met," he continued, almost lazily, "I gave you the chance to duel against me, as an equal, if you will. You were fully armed, as I was, and even though you had a much lesser knowledge of magic than me, I still gave you a chance. But that is where I failed. You thwarted me once again, Potter."

"The information that Lucius asked his son to collect on you proved very helpful, by the way. He will be rewarded. Now let me see." he paused to flick his wand. A sheaf of parchments appeared in the air. He glanced at them. "I notice you went to meet.a large, shaggy black dog on your last Hogsmeade trip. Hmm.I will have to look into that." After surveying the papers for a few more moments, they disappeared with another flick. "Nothing else I didn't already know."

"I realized my flaw last time. So this time, it is going to be a little different. Weasley," the Dark Lord turned to Ron, who had not moved, "get rid of this useless stick of wood. Now." He handed Ron Harry's wand.

Ron bowed, and Harry felt anger surge through him. Ron strode in the direction of the edge, and Harry realized what he was going to do.

"Ron!" he suddenly cried, but to no avail. The redhead continued to walk toward the edge of the cliff. Harry followed Ron, but stopped when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Voldemort slowly move toward the suspended Hermione, who seemed to be struggling with the invisible chains binding her arms.

"Ron, don't do it!" Hermione called, a note of desperation in her voice as Voldemort drew closer to her. Harry groped around for a plan, anything to scrounge up at the last minute. He needed the wand in order to distract Voldemort from Hermione. In order to get the wand, he needed to break Ron out of his trance.

"My Lord?" A quavering voice suddenly sounded, making all the heads turn or look up. Voldemort wheeled around, his eyes emitting red sparks now.

"What?!" he spat, eyes darting around the circle of Death Eaters, who at once bowed their heads again.

"I-I was just about to say..." the voice quavered.

"You dare to interrupt me, Nott. This must be of utmost importance, then," Voldemort said dangerously after a moment's pause.

"Y-y-yes, Master," Nott replied fearfully and raised his head some. Harry cast a glance at the hooded man, then froze as they locked eyes. Something about those eyes struck Harry as familiar.

"Master, wouldn't it be better to torture the girl before killing her?" Nott suggested weakly. Harry stared at the man, who had cast his eyes on the ground. Now, he looked up again and his eyes darted fixed on Harry with a steady gaze, then darted from Harry to Ron repeatedly, then fixed on Harry again.

"Nott," the Serpent King said steadily, twiddling his wand between his thumbs.

"Yes, Master?" Nott spoke hesitantly, his eyes remaining fixed on Harry but his head bent. As Harry stared defiantly back, it dawned on him. But how was he supposed to believe a Death Eater?

"You are under my service, are you not?" Voldemort asked calmly.

"'Til the end of time, my Lord," Nott replied. The eyes never left their gaze. Harry was having a battle within himself. He had a precious few moments. He could either listen to Nott the Death Eater and get Ron, who was only a few steps away, or ignore him and lose his wand, the only weapon he had against the evil man who had made his life miserable. Thereby, he would lose his two best friends in the world.

"Then why are you giving me suggestions?" Voldemort asked smoothly, glancing up at Nott.

"Just to aid you in the best way to anguish the Mudblood, Master," Nott answered. Harry's time was running out. He had to make up his mind fast.

He leapt. He flung himself forward with his arms outstretched, and caught Ron around the ankles, bringing him down with him. Pain shot through his already aching muscles, and to top it off, his scar was starting to pound again. He heard a clatter as his wand went rolling off and, as he glanced up, saw it come to a stop at mere few inches from the edge.

"Get off me, Potter!" Ron spat, struggling to stand up. Harry had never heard such biting tones from Ron, and neither had his best friend ever called him Potter. It was a change for the worse.

"No, Ron! Snap out of it!" Harry answered, not letting go of Ron's ankles.

"Stop! Let me go!" Ron struggled against Harry's grip. But Harry wasn't going to let go so easily. With some difficulty, he stood up, still holding onto Ron's ankles.

"Potter, Potter, Potter," Voldemort's voice was in Harry's head. Ron stopped wiggling to look up, a grin on his face.

"WHY on Earth do you have to make things so difficult, Potter?" the question was immediately followed by his sudden appearance right next to Harry.

"To stop you," a voice came. A hooded person had stepped forward, wand out and ready. Through the darkness of the hood, Harry could make out the same darting eyes, the eyes he could've sworn he had seen SOMEWHERE before. "Crucio!"

With a look of mild surprise, the Dark Lord easily sidestepped the jet of red light, which went flying over the edge, and walked to the lone Death Eater. Harry fell to the ground on his knees beside Ron and whispered urgently, "Snap out of it Ron! Remember me? Harry? Your best friend? Remember Hermione, helpless over there?" He looked at Ron, who showed no change of emotion except for the snarl that contorted his features.

"Defying your own master, Nott?" Voldemort asked, a mix of surprise and expectation in his voice.

"Remember Hogwarts? Remember Hagrid, Ginny, and your mum and dad, and all the food you could eat?" At this, something familiar seemed to flicker in Ron's blue eyes.

"Well, if that's the way you feel, maybe a taste of your own medicine might change your mind? Mind you, that's not where I'm going to stop," the Dark Lord stated softly.

"Remember Lavender?" Harry asked desperately, and at this, Harry noticed a change in Ron's eyes as well as his features.

"You're good, Ron. You don't want to be evil. You hate this. You've been put under a spell. Wake up. Get out of it, Ron," Harry plunged on. In the anxiety, he slapped his best friend hard across the cheek, leaving a red mark.

Ron sat up slowly, then blinked several times. One hand went up to his head.

"What is this place? Harry? What are you doing here?" he finally said, shaking his head rapidly. Harry grinned, happy for a brief moment. He could've hugged Ron, but there was no time.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, still chained. She had noticed the change in Ron's behavior. Harry shot her a warning look to tell her not to draw any more attention to them.

"Crucio!" Voldemort cried from beyond, and Harry quickly stood up, helping Ron up as well. A strong breeze blew suddenly, and the hood of the Death Eater flew backwards as he squirmed on the ground in agony. Harry remembered and quickly turned around to see his wand teetering dangerously, the wind making up its mind as to what to do with it. He lunched forward and grabbed the cool wood just before it completely fell over.

He felt an indescribable power renew his senses. He was armed again. He had as much power as Voldemort. With this, he muttered, "Stay here" to Ron and slowly walked forward. As he neared, his eyes grew wide. Nott had changed appearance. He was.Arabella Figg. Her gray hair tied in a knot at the nape of her neck, her old, sallow face twisted in torment, Mrs. Figg, Harry's old babysitter, lay on the ground, suffering.

"Mrs. Figg!?" he would've exclaimed, but the shock kept his mouth glued shut.

"I should've known. Figg. About time you showed up," Voldemort said, devoid of shock. At that moment, Harry realized that Mrs. Figg had been trying to help him with the signals with her eyes.

But still, why is Mrs. Figg here? How can Voldemort be so calm about this? Could he have known previously that she was going to be here? Did she use Polyjuice Potion to disguise herself as Nott?

The questions racing through his mind at a mile a second, Harry forced himself to stay calm, to not start shouting out randomly. As he watched, Mrs. Figg stood up slowly and Voldemort regarded her with a cold stare.

"Your turn of torture ends now, Voldemort," she spat his name out as if it were a poison.

"How are things with you, Arabella? Good, I presume? It's a pity I should bring that to an end," Voldemort said with a smile. Harry couldn't believe it. What kind of sick pleasure could Voldemort receive from killing innocent people?

"No!" Harry suddenly found his voice and stepped in front of Voldemort. "You can't kill her!"

"Since when, Potter, do you tell me what I can and cannot do?" Voldemort asked in an amusing voice.

"Since now," Harry found himself saying. "You've murdered too many innocent people, especially the ones who mattered most to me. I can't bring them back, but I won't let you go on." He sounded braver than he felt, but raised his wand readily.

"Sentimental. Avada Kedavra," Voldemort said in an indifferent tone. The green bullet of light that issued from Voldemort traveled slowly in Harry's mind, inching closer to him as he racked his brain for a counter-curse. As one occurred to him, he was pushed roughly so that he fell to the floor. Above him, a blinding light illuminated the surroundings for a brief moment before everything returned to its dull color. Harry heard Hermione scream, and as he shakily go to his feet, he noticed a limp body next to him. Mrs. Figg lay motionless on the floor.

"And now, YOUR turn. But instead of killing you right away, I think I will make you suffer, much like you have made ME suffer these past fifteen years," Lord Voldemort announced. "Abalienum," he voiced. Harry felt numb and limp, much like a puppet. He tried to move his arms and legs, but it was like his brain had forgotten how to work. His eyes still saw, but everything had a surreal quality to it.

Fight it, a voice said in the back of his mind. He tried, but the spell was too powerful. Helplessly, he saw Voldemort wave his wand, then felt his slack body flying backwards. Before he could figure out what was happening, he was suspended like Hermione, a few feet away, in the exact same position.

"If I wave my wand, you two will be on your way to a watery grave," Voldemort laughed his cold, mirthless laugh. It sounded distant to Harry's ears. He felt his brain being clouded over.

Abruptly, he didn't care anymore. He didn't care whether he fell into the cold water below, didn't care whether Hermione or Ron died, didn't care that the invisible chains were cutting into his wrists. He didn't have a care in the world.

"Harry!" Harry heard his name being called, but could care less. He felt all the emotion and feeling seeping away, replaced by ignorant bliss.

"Come on, Harry!" a redhead had scrambled to his feet and was in Harry's field of vision now. He had a long stick made of a light-colored wood in his hand, and was turning to Voldemort and saying in an echoing voice, "Let him go! Or I'll."

"You'll what, Weasley?" Voldemort asked amusedly. "Fight me?" the circle of Death Eaters laughed in unison.

"A-Avada Kedavra!" Ron stuttered. Voldemort easily dodged this and stepped closer to Ron.

"One more chance, Weasley. Then you get to join the precious two up there."

"Not a chance, V-v-Voldemort," Ron stumbled backward.

"Afraid to say my name? Potter isn't. See where he is now?"

"Lacarnum Inflamare!" Ron bellowed, his wand pointed at Voldemort's robes. A piercing blue flame erupted on Voldemort's robes, causing him to yell, "you stupid boy!" and thrash his robes in attempt of putting the fire out. Several Death Eaters rushed to his aid, but he bellowed, "Get the boy, you fools!"

Harry did not care what happened to Ron. To his side, he could hear Hermione yelling his name.

"Harry! Come on, Harry! Snap out of it! Please, Harry! Ron's in trouble! We can't do anything. You're the one who has to help us so we can help you! Fight it, Harry! Wake up!"

What's the use? Harry thought lazily to himself.

"Harry!" Hermione pleaded. "Harry, come on! Come back! For Ron! For me! Because I love you!"

A familiar feeling stirred in Harry's mind, something he couldn't quite place, but it was familiar nonetheless. It felt like a sliver of light shining at the end of a dark tunnel. He felt a tingling sensation in the tips of his fingers, and, with great effort, tried to move them. To his immense surprise, he felt motion among them. His fingers clasped around his weapon, his wand.

"Harry, come ON, mate! Don't give up now!" he heard Ron's echoing voice somewhere off to his right. Then, he heard a sharp laugh that sent shivers up his spine.

"Did you hear that, Potter? Your girlfriend LOVES you! How amusing! And quite sad as I am about to kill you." Voldemort paused, studying Harry. Harry wanted to reach out and strange him. He had already reached his decision. Instead, he shut his eyes tight and willed his brain into sending motion signals to his feet. After a few moments of concentration, he felt his toes wiggling inside his shoes.

"Then again, Potter, perhaps it would be better if your girlfriend here witnessed you being kissed. That would really throw her for a spin, would it not?" There was that piercing laugh again. "Boys, if you would be so kind..." Voldemort called.

Harry felt the cloak of cold envelop him at once, seeping through his skin into his lungs, constricting his breath...

Concentrating with all he had, he managed to force his eyes open. The surroundings seemed so much brighter. He blinked slowly to clear his vision, his breath coming in ragged gasps, and saw two cloaked figures drifting toward him. Something in his mind told him that these weren't Death Eaters. The hand poking out from under the sleeve was a rotting gray, the skin peeling and decaying. As the two drew nearer, their rattling breaths chilled Harry to the core.

"This is your reward for helping me get my faithful servants out of Azkaban," Voldemort informed the pair, who were inching closer to Harry with every passing second.

"Expecto... Expecto..." Ron struggled to remember the rest of the spell as he aimed his wand at the grotesque figures. "Damn! Hermione, what was the rest of that spell?!" he asked frantically.

"Patronum!" Hermione answered, panicking, as she watched the Dementors near Harry. They were an arm's length away...

"Um, Expecto Patronum!" Ron bellowed, his wand hand shaking violently. Nothing appeared.

"It's not working!" he cried, shaking his wand.

"Think of something happy!" Hermione said, her eyes not leaving the Dementors.

"Trying to conjure a Patronus, Weasley? I don't think you have brains enough to do that," Voldemort said with a sneer. "Very nice fire spell, but I suspect that's the closest you can come to a real spell. Since you are about to die as well, the least I can do is let it go. One of you. Take care of this obsequious human being," the Dark Lord waved his hand in Ron's direction. Immediately, one of the Dementors turned around and floated towards Ron. His blue eyes grew wide as he tried to budge, but found that he was rooted to the ground.

"Finally, this is goodbye, Potter. How I have longed for this moment," Voldemort said triumphantly. "And aren't you happy your dear Weasley friend is going with you?"

So many words flew through Harry's mind that would have made Hermione say, "Harry!" More and more of his body parts were beginning to function properly. He forced his tongue to function inside his mouth, then, squeezing his eyes shut, forced words to the tip of his tongue. Prying his mouth open, he whispered, "No one's going to die except you."

Voldemort's eyes grew wide.

"Harry!" Hermione's voice sounded relieved. The Dementor was almost face-to- face with Harry, and, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ron was in the same predicament. He couldn't move his arms, especially his wand arm. Even then, he doubted he would've been able to fend off the Azkaban guard. The cold enveloped him completely, and all happy thoughts were driven out of his head.

The screams echoed in his head, terrible, pleading screams.

"Mum…" he whispered, barely moving, his eyes squeezed tight. Further away, he heard Ron utter a terrified scream.

"Harry! Ron! No!" Hermione cried desperately, her voice full of emotion. Harry knew it would all be over in a matter of few seconds. He would be with his mum and dad again.

"Expecto Patronum!" a powerful voice sounded off to the side, and the Dementor, which had been in the process of lowering its hood, leapt back abruptly. Harry's breath was heaving as the cold immediately swept away, replaced by a much warmer but stronger breeze. Harry cracked his eyes open and saw a beautiful stag, much as the one he had produced in fourth year, gallop soundlessly toward the menacing Dementors, driving them back until they disappeared completely. With a bow in Harry's direction, it disappeared as well.

Looking around as best as he could, Harry saw a flash of silver. He also noticed that the Dementor had back away from Ron was slumped on the ground, shaking and unconscious.

"Expedio," the person said, and Harry saw the flick of a wand. He felt himself being lifted into the air, then lowered onto solid ground. He had never been happier to be able to stand. He immediately collapsed, as the feeling in his legs hadn't returned yet. He lay there for a few moments, eyes closed, breathing deeply to calm himself down. He had never been so close to death, or a Dementor for that matter, before.

"Are you OK?" Hermione's voice asked and he felt her hand on top of his. He opened his eyes and saw her face in front of his. He strained a smile.

"Yeah. You?" he asked, squeezing her hand.

"A little shaken, but OK," she replied.

"I'm glad," he said.

"Dumbledore. Not surprising," Harry heard Voldemort say bitingly. Harry scrambled to his feet, Hermione following. She held onto his arm until he felt a tingling sensation in his legs and was able to use them again. Hermione, as if sensing this, lowered her hand. Harry's hand gripped his wand tightly.

"How are you, Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked calmly, walking forward.

"Professor, how did you know where we were?" Harry asked.

"After Professor McGonagall came to me posing a question about identifying Portkeys, I deduced as much. My Futurall didn't hurt, either. Professor Trelawney can be useful," he answered, his eyes carrying the familiar twinkle as he glanced at him.

"Your star students got it before you did, it seems," Voldemort said with distaste.

"Yes, it seems they have," Dumbledore replied, kneeling next to Ron. "Ennervate," he muttered. Ron groggily started, then opened his eyes and slowly sat up. Glancing around him, he spotted Voldemort and scrambled to his feet, scooting next to Harry. Voldemort, however, did not notice him. His angry red eyes were fixed on Dumbledore.

"It's been a while, Dumbledore. My resurrection was inevitable. You were probably prepared, but that does not mean I cannot outsmart you. After all, I am here, aren't I?" the Dark Lord spoke at last.

"True, true," Dumbledore said, standing up, "but that does not mean you are as powerful or strong as you once were."

"You doubt my strength?" Voldemort sneered. "Let me demonstrate, then. Imago Viscus!"

"Protego!" Voldemort's spell seemed to bounce off him and it headed in Voldemort's direction. He nimbly stepped aside and the curse hit one of the Death Eaters squarely on the back. He screamed, a piercing scream that erupted into the night, as he fell to his knees, doubled over. Hermione gasped.

"Evito Eruptum!" Dumbledore retaliated. A blast of red light shot out of his wand, making a beeline for Voldemort's chest. With a crack like a whip, he disappeared, only to reappear behind all of them, on the other side. The strand of power caught a trembling Death Eater, and he gasped a strangled gasp, then swelled a bit and... small pieces flew in every direction, along with flecks of blood, causing all of them except Voldemort to hold their hands in front of their faces as a shield. That man was no more.

"Still not convinced, Dumbledore?" Voldemort asked, making everyone turn their heads to face him.

"No, no. I can't say that I'm not convinced. However, you do have weaknesses, Voldemort," Dumbledore replied.

"What are you talking about?" Voldemort spat out as he strode forward. Dumbledore walked toward the evil man as he spoke.

"You are missing one thing that we all have," Dumbledore went further, as good and evil grew closer with their strides.

"And what might that be?" Voldemort asked, his words dripping with disdain.

"Love," Dumbledore simply answered. They stopped abruptly, facing each other. "We all have people who love us, whereas you do not."

"I do not NEED people who love me. I have power. And that is more than enough." Voldemort grinned maniacally. "And power means that I have followers, authority, and most of all, the ability to kill whomever I please. Addinquo," he suddenly said and pointed his wand at Harry without taking his eyes off the wizard in front of him.

Harry felt as if he was a magnet. He was quickly drawn to Voldemort. Even though Hermione and Ron were holding onto each of his arms, and Ron uttered, "Finite Incantatem!" it did not work. Harry felt them let go behind him as he was drawn rapidly to Voldemort, who held his neck lightly at arm's length once he reached him.

"Muggle way or magical way, Potter's going to die tonight. See, Dumbledore? People who have love are foolish. Now, power. That lasts forever." As he spoke, his long, white fingers tightened around Harry's neck, slowly cutting off his oxygen supply.

"Solvum!" Hermione cried, her wand pointed roughly at the two. Harry heard a snapping sound, and he was able to breathe again.

"Clever girlfriend, Potter," Voldemort growled. "Dumbledore, you fool, watch as your special students suffer death at the hands of special me. And then, it will be your turn."

"Victum Angustus!" Dumbledore cried in a voice that was quite surprising to Harry. The friendly demeanor had dissolved, and there was a surge of power that emanated from him that made Harry understand why Voldemort feared him.

What happened next shocked Harry. Voldemort seemed to go rigid, much like Neville had done when Hermione had placed a body-bind curse on him. But, as his eyes glinted maliciously, silver cords began to appear. Then, when his eyes began to emit sparks, so did his skin. It began to steam and in a matter of seconds, the silver cords had been burnt through completely, freeing him.

"Didn't think that would work, did you? Face it, old man. My power is no match for you," the Dark Lord said.

"Well, let's see, shall we? Opisthunum!" Dumbledore responded. Voldemort's body seemed to involuntarily bend backward at an unnatural angle, and as his head neared the ground, he snapped right back up again, a manic glint in his eyes.

And so they dueled, Voldemort Apparating and Disapparating to dodge Dumbledore's curses, Dumbledore following him to pronounce curse upon curse on the Serpent King. After a few minutes of arduous dueling, they came to an abrupt stop, facing each other, standing at the edge overlooking the dangerous sea. Their wands aimed at each other, their gazes never wavered from each other's faces.

Harry couldn't take any more. It looked like the next time one of them uttered a curse, the other would definitely fall off the ledge to their death. Hoping it would be Voldemort, but not being able to bear the fact that it might be Dumbledore, Harry took a step forward.

"Don't, Harry," Dumbledore spoke firmly, eyes still on the evil man in front of him. Harry took another small step forward.

"Harry, don't!" Hermione whispered.

"Harry, listen to Dumbledore," Ron said quietly, his eyes on the pair. Harry didn't say anything, just stared at the two wizards, trying to determine their next move.

"I can't let Voldemort do this. I can't let him kill Dumbledore," Harry had made up his mind way before he said this. "I've got to stop him." With that, he took another step forward.

"I will not let you foil my Master! Congelius!" a squeaky voice cried. Wormtail was instantly at Harry's side, detached from the Death Eaters' circle. He had noticed Harry inching forward and had heard Harry's finalizing words.

Though shocked by this impulsive movement, Harry ducked just in time. As the bullet of electric blue light whizzed past his head to freeze a swaying bush nearby, he heard two strong voices up ahead.

"Trucidus!" "Interfectum!"

There was a blinding flash of green light that carried all the way to the edges of their environment. Harry looked up to see the two gone.

"Professor!" he yelled and ran to where they had been standing. Behind him, he heard Ron yell, "Petrificus Totalus!" and a body hitting the floor. With the knowledge that Wormtail was lying motionless, he ran faster. As he ran, a random thought reached him: Sirius could be cleared now, that Wormtail was bound and on the floor.

Reaching the edge, he saw both men hurtling downwards, getting closer and closer to the jagged rocks below. Surprisingly to Harry, they were moving, it seemed, in slow motion. Dumbledore's face was expressionless, but Voldemort's bared an expression that was a mix between defeat and triumph.

A million spells ran through Harry's mind at once. Then, taking a deep breath, his mind focused on the ones he needed.

Conjuring up all his strength, he aimed his wand at Dumbledore, the spell on the tip of his tongue.

"Addinquo!" he said clearly, but he thought he heard two other voices along with his. Turning for a split second, he saw Ron and Hermione, concentration etched on their faces and wands pointed at Dumbledore.

There was a jolt, and Harry lurched forward. Keeping his toes firmly planted, he closed his eyes and willed his energy on the spell he had just cast. After a few seconds, he reopened his eyes to see Dumbledore drawing nearer to him. With a small sigh, but not letting his attention slip off, he concentrated until Dumbledore was safely in front of them.

"Solvum," Hermione said, ease in her tone. Dumbledore straightened out his robes, then beamed at all three of them. But Ron wasn't paying attention.

"Look!" he exclaimed. All of them looked over the edge to see Voldemort right above the jagged rocks. Then, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared. Harry felt the anger well up in him. As they turned back around, they noticed that the cliff was deserted. All the Death Eaters had disappeared, even the binded Wormtail. The anger was topped off with disappointment. For a fleeting moment, Harry had thought that his godfather would've been liberated...

"Thank you, all," Dumbledore said, still smiling.

"You're welcome, sir," Hermione smiled back.

"What was the point of all that? I mean, he got away. And Wormtail's gone too. There's no way Sirius' name's going to be cleared now," Harry said, dejected.

"We all fought a good fight, Harry," Hermione tried consolation. "It’s not anyone's fault that they got away."

"I'm really glad that's over with," Ron said with an involuntary shudder.

"We should get back now," Dumbledore interjected gently. The three nodded solemnly and followed the wizened man to the far end of the cliff, where an old tin can lay abandoned. Without a word, all four placed a finger on it and, within moments, were jerked forward. As they felt their feet touch smooth, solid ground, Harry felt the warmth from the fire in the wall sconces wash over him, and thanked the heavens that Hogwarts had so many of them.

"If you three would please follow me to my office," Dumbledore said softly, starting to walk. The other three agreed reluctantly and followed the tall wizard to down the long hallways and up the revolving stone staircase. As they entered Dumbledore's magnificent office, Fawkes, the beautiful phoenix that perched on the ledge behind the Headmaster's chair, turned its head to regard them with its beady black eyes. Dumbledore's office continued to amaze Harry with all the unknown gadgets it held that were constantly in motion. Upon turning to the chairs, Harry saw two dogs, one big, black and shaggy, the other about the same with droopy jowls and sad eyes. In a second, they had transformed into two fully-grown men.

Dumbledore, without a word, walked over and sat behind his desk, his fingers joined together.

"Please. Sit," he gestured toward the chairs. The threesome sat, while the two older men stood behind them, glaring.

"Harry, are you all right? What happened?" Sirius' hand was on Harry's shoulder immediately as he leaned in, and the questions that shot out of him, simple as they were, were making Harry's head spin.

"Sirius, give the boy breathing room," Aberforth's gentle voice cut through. Sirius heaved a sigh and stood back, but the hand didn't move.

"What happened, Albus?" Aberforth turned his attention to Dumbledore.

"A lot," Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"It was horrible," Ron muttered, looking down at his feet.

"Who placed the Portkey there? I've been standing guard with Hagrid, and I didn't see any unwanted visitors here!" Aberforth sounded aghast.

"I have a theory as to who it might have been, but I am not sure," Albus replied thoughtfully. "But before I put my suspicions to the test, Harry, Ron, Hermione, could you please tell me what happened before I got there?" his voice was gentle but firm.

Harry was speechless. He couldn't think of what to say. He had seen so much in the past hours, and none of it was good...

"Harry, if you don't want to, its..." Sirius said gently.

"No, its OK," Harry interrupted. He felt that he had to get this poison of information out of his system before it broke him down.

Taking a deep breath, he began. Ron and Hermione cut in when Harry was at a loss for words to fill in the missing gaps of the gruesome tale. Hermione was shaking, and Harry took a stiff grip of her hand, which hung limply over the arm of the chair.

"And he got away! Just as I thought that your name was going to be cleared, that everything would be OK, he just disappeared!" Harry exclaimed, angered beyond words. He felt like he was going to explode. He stood up.

"Harry, calm down," Sirius said gently.

"No! I can't! It's not fair! We were so close! And he got away, all free to go do Voldemort's bidding again. He doesn't deserve to live!" Harry shouted.

"Neither does Voldemort, but we can't do anything about it," Sirius replied.

"Why!? Why can't we!? Combined, we have as much power as he does! Why couldn't we defeat him tonight!? He still got away! I'm tired of it!" Harry turned on Sirius. Sirius stared back levelly.

"Think about it. One of you were bound, one under his control, and you were facing off against him alone," Sirius explained, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Not after Ron snapped out of it and Hermione was freed!" Harry said blindly.

"Harry, calm down and think about it. Three fifth-years against Voldemort and his Death eaters," Sirius said, his voice shaking slightly. He paused before continuing, "And besides, what's the great loss? So Wormtail got away. He did before. I'm not surprised. I would've been surprised if he had stuck around somehow. It's all right. We'll catch him one day. Until then, I'll remain man's best friend and live off rats. They're not that bad, really." He managed a weak laugh.

Harry sighed in defeat. Without a word, he said back down, the anger still rising in him. He remained quiet even as Ron continued.

"So, Albus," Sirius began anxiously as soon as Ron had uttered the last words, finishing the tale, "who do you think placed the Portkey? And knew exactly when to engage it?"

"Patience, Sirius," Dumbledore said calmly. "Harry, I believe you knew Arabella Figg."

"Yeah. She used to be my old baby-sitter," he muttered.

"Do you know why she was there?" Dumbledore prodded. Harry shrugged. A few hours ago, when she had first appeared from beneath her black cloak, Harry would have loved to know why she had been there. But it didn't matter anymore. She was dead, and the glimmer of hope that had blossomed within him when Wormtail had been bound was also dead.

"She was there for you," Aberforth replied quietly. Harry opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a banging at the door.

"Enter," the Headmaster said.

Alastor Moody stepped in through the door.

"Professor Moody!?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Good morning to all of you," Moody greeted. Then, turning to the door, he curled a finger. "Come on. You won't do any good by hiding."

"You don't work here anymore! I refuse!" a voice rang from behind the doors. That voice was familiar. The biting tone, the rude quality of it...

"You know, Malfoy, you made quite a nice ferret. Perhaps you'd make a better worm underneath my shoe. Care to give it a go?" There was silence for a minute. Then, a blonde head slid in through the door, followed by the body it was attached to. Draco Malfoy followed in through the door, and Moody went up the final steps and stood next to Dumbledore's desk. Malfoy lingered near the doorway.

"Come, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore beckoned. Malfoy shuffled forward and stood next to Moody, wearing a look of strong hesitation. For a few seconds, there was no movement except for Moody's eye, which was circling in every direction ceaselessly.

"Well, go on!" Moody broke the uncomfortable silence. "Tell them what you told me!"

"I don't have to!" Malfoy retorted indignantly.

"I suggest that you do," Aberforth spoke up, eyeing Malfoy with suspicion.

"Who are you?" Malfoy asked, giving the man a look of distaste.

"Mr. Malfoy, is there something you would like to tell me?" Dumbledore directed Malfoy's attention back to him with these words. Draco shuffled uncomfortably in his spot.

"Malfoy, I'm warning you..." Moody started, his wand already raised. Dumbledore raised a hand to stop Moody from going any further, and Moody sighed.

"Sir, I..." Malfoy started, his face twisted into an unreadable expression.

"Yes?" Dumbledore prompted gently. Just then, a knock rang at the doors once more.

"Enter," Dumbledore said, his voice with an edge of exasperation.

"Albus! You're back! Did you bring them with you?! Are they all right!? What's going..." A very flustered Professor McGonagall ran in through the doors, whizzing through the questions. She stopped short, her bloodshot eyes taking in the group of people gathered in the office.

"Yes, I did bring them back with me. They're quite all right, as you can see. Now, I believe Mr. Malfoy was about to tell us something," Dumbledore answered patiently, then turned back to the younger blond wizard. "Continue."

"I..." Malfoy paused once more. "I was the one that placed the Portkey so that Potter could find it. But it wasn't my fault that Granger went with him."

Professor McGonagall gasped. Aberforth stepped forward menacingly. Sirius burst out with an enraged "What!?", and was joined by Ron, Hermione and Harry in unison.

"My father made me put it here. I honestly didn't want to," Malfoy refused to make eye contact with anyone, and so it seemed like he was conversing with the highly polished floor instead.

"That's not all!" Moody growled. He prodded Malfoy with his wand. "Tell him the rest, boy!"

"Also, I..." Malfoy started, then stopped again.

"Oh, spit it out!" Aberforth snapped. Malfoy raised his head slightly to shoot Aberforth a glare.

"Aberforth, please," the Headmaster said in a warning tone. "Please go on, Mr. Malfoy," he said in a much softer tone.

"I was spying on Potter for my father," Malfoy blurted out.

"So that's why you were staring at us in class, and in Hogsmeade! You slimy..." Ron shot out of his chair.

"Mr. Weasley!" Dumbledore's voice was firm. "Please take your seat."

"But, sir....." Ron tried to start again.

"Sit down, Weasley. Or I'll be forced to deduct points from my own house," McGonagall put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. Grudgingly, he complied.

"Why?" was the old wizard's simple question.

"For once, I wanted something bad to happen to Potter, and not find a way out of it. I wanted him to suffer. Sure, he's faced the basilisk and all that, but he hasn't seen any danger that he hasn't weaseled out of. My father said that if I did this, it would help him show up Potter," Malfoy answered, anger in his voice. He was staring at Harry with hate now. Harry glared back.

"I see. Alastor, could you please take Mr. Malfoy outside and wait? I would like to speak to these three for a moment. I will be right out," Dumbledore said to Moody.

"Albus! Aren't you going to do anything? This boy put several lives in danger!" Moody said, puzzled.

"I am aware of what he did and did not do," Dumbledore said calmly. "If you two would be so kind as to wait outside, we will talk as soon as I am done here."

"All right," Moody muttered. Prodding Malfoy all the way, they exited quickly.

"Harry, do you know why Ms. Figg was there?" the change in gears was quick. Harry looked up.

"Aberforth said she was there for me," Harry answered lamely.

"Yes, but do you know why?" the Headmaster asked. Harry shook his head.

"To protect you," Dumbledore answered, making Harry look in disbelief.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, utterly confused.

"Arabella Figg was a very powerful witch. In fact, when she went here, she was top of her class, much like Ms. Granger. She was pretending to be in league with Voldemort to get inside information for me. She was working with Professor Snape and against Voldemort."

"But...but that can't happen. I mean, she was a mean lady with cats who lived in a Muggle neighborhood! How could she have been helping you, and Snape, and going to Death Eater meetings?" Harry asked, his confusion turning to surprise.

"Have you not heard of witches and wizards living in Muggle worlds? She was put there to look after you. She was your baby-sitter because your aunt and uncle were told to leave you in her care whenever they went out. She was part of the wards and protections placed near the house you live in," Dumbledore explained.

This was all too much. All Harry wanted to do was go to sleep. He was tired, and angry, and a whole mixture of emotions was churning inside of him.

"What about Voldemort?" he asked finally, giving up trying to take it all in. "He's not going to come back after all this. Is he going to go into hiding again? Is he going to spring an attack on someone when they least expect it?"

"We do not know for sure," Dumbledore sighed heavily, "but we can only hope not. However, as we do not have knowledge of the workings of Voldemort's mind, we cannot determine anything as of now. We can only hope, and pray."

"Is that all?" Ron asked, looking exhausted.

"For now, yes, Mr. Weasley. That is all," Dumbledore replied kindly. "If you wish to go, you may." No sooner had the words left the Headmaster's mouth that Ron was standing up and heading toward the door, clutching his shoulder painfully.

"But I must ask you," Dumbledore spoke up, causing Ron to stop in his tracks and turn around, "not to tell anyone of the events that happened tonight. There simply is no point. And, Mr. Weasley," he added, "I would suggest that you go to Madam Pomfrey, all three of you, to get treatment for any injuries you've suffered. The physical ones, of course."

"Yes, sir," they muttered. Harry did not have the strength to stand up. He felt drained.

"Harry..." Hermione whispered, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. She stood up, which looked like a great struggle for her. Letting go of her hand, Harry followed suit, then followed Sirius and Aberforth, who had transformed, out the door, where he passed an awaiting and nervous Malfoy, who kept shooting glances at Moody and his eye that had a life of its own.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I think I will kill you, Harry. I haven't been happy in a while. Make me happy. Die!" Voldemort shouted. Harry gasped at the sudden increase in volume, then, as a strong wind whipped by, felt the heels of his feet standing on air. Turning back, he saw great black waves crash against glinting, jagged rocks. Like snake's tongues, they forked and reached up toward him. Thunder boomed ominously in the almost-black sky above.

"Avada Kedavra!" came the voice.

"Protego!" Harry cried, and the jet of green light hit his shield with such force that he momentarily teetered backwards. As the light bounced off, and he felt himself regaining balance, another gust of wind shook the area and pushed him backward. Down and down he fell, toward the open mouth of the sea, ready to devour its victim...

Harry awoke with a start, panting and clammy all over. Trying to slow down his breathing, he looked around himself frantically. The foot of the twin- sized bed he was on was covered with chocolates of all kinds, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and many cards wishing him a speedy recovery. He sighed heavily, partly in relief and partly in anger. This wasn't the first time he had had this dream. Thankfully, they were getting less and less intense...

He turned around, everything a blurry mass. Blindly reaching for his glasses and placing them on the bridge of his nose, he surveyed his surroundings. Hermione was on the bed to the right of his, sleeping peacefully, her breathing deep and even. He smiled, thinking that she resembled an angel, even with the small cuts and scratches on her otherwise flawless face. Looking the other way, he saw his other best friend, Ron, lying on his side. He was also in deep slumber, but his face was twitching. Harry guessed that he was having a dream. Sighing again, he settled back into his pillows and closed his eyes, eventually dozing off with his glasses still on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh, good, you're all up!" came Madam Pomfrey's cheerful voice. Harry squinted against the rays of sunlight filtering in through the large windows in the infirmary and slowly sat up. He realized that his glasses were still on, because he could see everything with clarity.

At once, the nurse was at his side, running her wand over his cuts and muttering spells and healing charms under her breath. After a few moments, she forced a cup of hot potion down his throat, which made Harry fell a lot better, and then settled a tray over his knees.

"Breakfast, Potter. Eat up. You'll need your strength." With that, she hurried off.

"Hi, Harry!" he turned to see Hermione grinning, her breakfast half-eaten and a thick book propped against the tray. He grinned back.

"Hi, Hermione. I take it that you're OK?" he asked, eyeing the book, amazed at how she could read at a time like this.

"Better than," she replied, stuffing a piece of toast into her mouth. "You?"

"Yeah," he said. "Just been having...dreams. That's all."

"Mr. Weasley! Stay still!" he heard Madam Pomfrey shouting from behind. He turned to see Ron struggling against her. She was holding a green vial of potion in her hand.

"No! I don't want that stuff! Its nasty!" he cried, trying to shove her hand away.

"Unless you want to be half-normal, I suggest to swallow this, now!" she replied exasperatedly. He groaned, letting his arms fall limply to his sides. As Harry watched with further amusement, Ron twisted his face into an expression of total disgust as Madam Pomfrey forced it down his throat.

After she had left, Ron's expression remained. He dived for the food at the foot of his bed and ripped a Chocolate Frog open, stuffing the whole thing into his mouth and chewing furiously. Harry couldn't help it. He began to laugh.

"Wa fo uffy?" Ron asked, still chewing, frowning at Harry and Hermione, who were both laughing now. This only caused them to laugh harder. After a few seconds, he swallowed and said, "What's so funny?"

"You," they replied together and then laughed again.

"Ha ha ha," he muttered. "Let's all laugh at Ron Weasley because he has to drink bile for potion." This did not help the laughter at all.

After they had calmed down, Harry asked, "Are you feeling all right, then?"

"Yeah. Sure wish that potion wasn't necessary for that, though," he mumbled. "What about you, Harry? Hermione?"

"I'm feeling great," Hermione replied, chewing a piece of bacon.

"I can see that. How can you read a book now, Hermione!? I swear, I'll never understand you," Ron shook his head. Hermione just rolled her eyes and turned back to her book.

"Harry, are you OK, mate?" Ron asked, turning to his scar-ridden best friend.

"Yeah. Just been having dreams. Nothing bad, though," he assured as he took a bite of his eggs.

"Yeah. Me too," Ron sighed as he picked up the breakfast tray sitting next to him and started wolfing down. Harry shook his head. Some things would never change.

"Have room for talking, or are you too busy stuffing your face?" a voice came from beyond. All three looked up to see Lavender emerge from the front and sit at the foot of Ron's bed, one hand on his leg which was underneath the sheet and wearing a huge smile.

"Lavender!" Ron exclaimed, swallowing hurriedly. He pushed he tray out of the way to give her a tight hug. Harry and Hermione raised their eyebrows at each other before turning back to the display.

"Are you OK?" Lavender was asking him, running her hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?" Ron asked her, her hand in his.

"Fine. I missed you so much though," she sighed. He wrapped her in another embrace. Harry hurriedly cleared his throat and they pulled apart, both looking quite embarrassed and shy, and both blushing the same shade of red.

"So, what's going on with you two?" Harry asked, having a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"We're just friends!" Lavender quipped.

"Well, maybe a bit more than friends," Ron admitted shyly, grinning.

"And a bit more," Lavender added.

"How much more?" Hermione asked carefully.

"So much that we're in love," Lavender answered sheepishly, smiling widely.

"What!?"

"Did…did you just say LOVE?"

"You heard her," Ron muttered from behind his blush, eyes carefully avoiding his two best friends.

"When did this happen!?" Harry asked, somewhat shocked at this new piece of information.

"A little while ago. Before this whole You-Know-Who fiasco, for sure," Lavender assured, still beaming.

"That’s great! I’m really happy for the both of you," Hermione congratulated, smiling.

"Yeah, me too," Harry said, briefly thinking of the time he had declared his own love, then pushing it out of his mind and flashing Ron a grin. His very crimson friend sheepishly grinned back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

From this end of the school year, summer seemed much closer to the students of Hogwarts. The school population was thoroughly shaken by the conspired events of Voldemort, but not as much as Harry, Ron and Hermione. Though they tried to maintain a calm demeanor when amongst the other students, awkward silences often settled between the three when alone.

The screech of the morning owls broke the newly settled uncomfortable silence between the trio at breakfast on a warm, summer morning on the last day of school. Beyond glad, Harry looked up in search of his snowy owl and spotted her circling downward to where he sat.

I expect that’s our O.W.L. results," Hermione stated nervously as a barn owl landed on the table in front of her, parchment tied to its foot.

"What have you got to worry about, Hermione?" Ron asked miserably. I’m the one who made up half the stuff I wrote in my O.W.L.’s!"

"Let’s just open it and get it out of the way," Harry said heavily. He felt as if a thousand Snitches had just been let loose inside his stomach, which was now squirming uncomfortably.

"Harry’s right," Hermione said, untying the parchment from the owl’s leg and watching it as it flew off. Ron and Harry did the same, and once Hedwig and the Errol had flown off together, all three stared at the piece of paper in their hands.

"Mum’s going to disown me!" Ron said, near hysterics.

"Just calm down! On three, we open it. Ready?" Hermione asked, looking at them with anticipation evident in her eyes.

"Ready," Ron and Harry answered solemnly.

"One…two…three," she said and practically tore the parchment open. Ron and Harry followed suit, much slower. Harry’s eyes scanned the page with the black ink on it. After counting up the total, a grin split his face. Reducing it to a smile, he looked up at Ron apprehensively, to see that he was grinning as well.

"Ten! Not bad! And I thought I failed Potions AND History Of Magic!" he exclaimed, eyes scanning the page.

"Good for you, Ron!" Hermione approved, then, looking at her own paper, smiled widely.

"How many did you get, Harry?" Ron asked, looking up.

"Twelve," he answered, surprised and glad that Snape hadn’t failed him entirely.

"And I suppose YOU got all fifteen?" Ron asked, turning to Hermione.

"You say that like it’s a bad thing!" Hermione said, wearing a shocked expression that dissolved into a grin.

"Way to go, Hermione," Ron said a bit dryly, but smiled anyway.

"Got one O.W.L, did you?" Lavender approached them from her spot at the far end of the Gryffindor table and sat next to Ron, holding her own exam results.

"For your information, I got ten," Ron answered rather proudly. "What about you?"

"Thirteen," Lavender beamed.

"Oh, big deal," Ron muttered. They laughed.

"Oh, come ON, Ron! It’s not a big deal! You surprised me! I didn’t think you’d make it past four!" Lavender said in-between laughs.

"Thanks for the faith," Ron said, his ears turning crimson.

"Well, we better go. Don’t want to be late for class," Hermione chirped, standing up. Harry could tell her mood had greatly improved. For the past few days, she had been moody and seemed depressed.

The three got up and made their way out of the Great Hall among the throng of students.

Harry felt someone push him hard from behind, and upon turning to see, regarded the blonde Malfoy who was wearing his signature smirk.

"You think you’re so great, Potter," Malfoy sneered as the students emptied out of the Great Hall.

"I know you have a speech problem, Malfoy, so could you please explain what you’re on about?" Harry said snidely.

"Just because you dueled Voldemort, and squirmed out of it alive, you think you’re so great. The famous Potter, once again in the spotlight for doing something heroic!" Malfoy retorted. By now, the Hall was empty except for Harry, Hermione, Ron and Malfoy.

"And the stupid Malfoy, once again in OUR spotlight for being his natural idiotic self!" Ron said, earning a glare from Hermione.

"Shut up, Weasel," Malfoy snapped. Then, turning to Harry again, he growled, "You watch, Potter. I know Voldemort escaped before anything happened. I promise, he’ll be back to rip you limb from limb. And you can bet that I’ll be right there, helping along." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off.

"Oh, please. Sounds just like a Muggle movie," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Empty threat. Come on!" The other two reluctantly followed Hermione to class, fuming all the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Last day of school! And classes are over!" Ron cried upon entering the Gryffindor common room, and was welcomed by loud cheers and whoops. Harry and Hermione followed, grinning at Ron and the fact that it was indeed the last day of school. The three flopped down on the couch, but Ron walked over to the table in one of the corners to join Seamus and Neville in a game of Exploding Snap. Hermione and Harry sat next to each other quietly, watching Ron as the pack of cards exploded, singeing his hair and leaving a black mark on the tip of his nose. Lavender and Parvati came in after a few minutes, clearly excited. Parvati joined Ginny and a couple of other fourth years in the corner, who then went upstairs, and Lavender headed over to the Exploding Snap group and sat on the arm of Ron’s chair, loosely draping an arm around his shoulders.

"Perhaps, after your little game, we could go upstairs to play a game of our own," Lavender whispered in his ear, making him go rigid. At the sight of this, she burst into laughter.

"Are you serious?" Ron asked a bit hoarsely.

"Absolutely," she whispered.

"Um," he started, then cleared his throat, "what about Harry and Hermione?"

"What about them?" Lavender asked. "They’ve got each other. I’m sure they’ll keep themselves entertained, if you know what I mean."

"No, what d’you mean?" Ron asked, confused.

"Don’t act like you don’t know," Lavender said, smiling a bit. "The two lovebirds, alone in the common room?"

Ron went stiff again.

"Do you mean…" he asked, eyeing Lavender.

Studying Ron’s expression, Lavender’s hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh my god," she whispered, "you really didn’t know."

"Know what!?" Ron asked, a pink tinge appearing in his cheeks. He started to stand up.

"Something wrong, Ron?" Seamus asked, looking concerned.

"No," Ron forced himself to say. Then, turning to Lavender, he said somewhat calmly, "Actually, I think I have a pretty good idea what."

In about five long strides, he was standing in front of Harry and Hermione.

"What’s going on with you two?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"What do you mean, Ron?" Hermione blinked, coming out of her little reverie.

"Oh, come off it," Ron snapped. "Based on what Lavender told me, or rather didn’t, I can guess what you two are up to."

At this moment, Lavender came up behind Ron.

"Ron, calm down. Let’s talk about this rationally," she said urgently.

"No, Lavender!" Ron said, his voice increasing in volume and turning a few heads. Fortunately for them, there were only about five people altogether in the common room.

"I want to know what is going on between you two," Ron demanded. Harry and Hermione stood simultaneously. Seamus and Neville slowly edged toward the portrait hole and slipped out.

"Ron! Why are you getting so upset!?" Hermione asked, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

"Why!? Isn’t that a bit obvious!? You two are together and you didn’t even tell me!" he half-shouted.

"There’s a reason!" Harry jumped in. By now, the common room was totally empty except for them. The remaining third years had run up to their dormitories, whispering excitedly.

"I’d love to hear it!" Ron bellowed.

"Because we didn’t want to hurt you! We had just come off a relationship and Harry and I didn’t think it was right to tell you!" Hermione said, her cheeks red now.

"Well, by not telling me, you hurt me more! Did you ever consider that?" Ron snapped back.

"Yes, we actually did, believe it or not! You know, Ron, you have no right to be yelling at us when WE didn’t even know about you and Lavender up until a couple of days ago!" Harry’s voice was also rising in volume.

At this, Ron went silent. Hermione was breathing heavily, and Harry was staring at his best friend, trying to gauge his reaction. The silence was unnerving.

"I’m sorry," Ron muttered at last. "It was just so sudden."

"So was this," Hermione’s voice was soft now as she kneeled beside Ron, a hand on his shoulder. "We’re sorry we didn’t tell you. We just didn’t know how you’d take it."

"And Ron, I’m sorry for not telling you. I just thought it should come from them. I shouldn’t have even opened my big mouth," Lavender said, fiddling with her hands.

"Hang on. How did you know, Lavender?" Hermione asked, looking up at Lavender in surprise.

"I saw you two snogging out by the lake the other day," she said matter-of- factly and shrugged.

Ron looked up. "Truce?" he asked, looking at Harry. Harry grinned, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Of course. What are best friends for?" he answered, causing Ron to break into an identical grin.

"I’m sorry for losing my temper like that. I mean, you two are my best friends, and I’d like to be included," Ron said, standing up.

"W’d never exclude you, Ickle Ronnie!" Hermione said playfully, ruffling his hair. They laughed, except for Ron.

"Don’t even start," he warned. Then, he turned to Lavender, taking her hands in his. Hermione backed away to Harry’s side, smiling at the two.

"You don’t have to apologize," he said softly to her. "In fact, I’m kind of glad you did open your big mouth." This caused Lavender to break into a huge grin and throw her arms around Ron. They broke apart slowly, and Hermione whispered to Harry, "Let’s leave them alone."

Harry was glad that she had said this. With his plans that he had talked over with to Ron during Potions, Ron needed the time.

"Well, have fun, you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do," Harry said.

"Very funny, Harry," Ron said, but grinned nevertheless. The two shared a wink and Harry and Hermione left.

"Want to go for a walk?" Harry suggested once they were outside the portrait hole.

"Ooh, you should! It’s a beautiful day outside!" The Fat Lady exclaimed. Hermione smiled at Harry.

I’d love to," she said. Hand in hand, the two headed for the lake. It truly was a beautiful day. As soon as they stepped outside, golden rays of sun hit them, filling them with warmth. Over on the Quidditch pitch, students were racing each other on brooms, heading at top speed toward the goal posts. Still other students were reading books on the benches, or talking while lounging on the green grass.

Harry and Hermione strolled lazily around the lake, lost in their own thoughts.

"Like Dumbledore says, another year, gone," Hermione said after a few quiet minutes.

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "I’m kind of glad, though. I mean, I never knew I’d have to do so many things in one year. I hope that never happens again."

"Well, I, for one, am proud of you," Hermione said.

"Why?" he asked, giving her a small smile.

"Because you are an amazing person, and you have so much courage, and you helped me more than you know," she said, stopping in front of the lake and turning to face him.

"Did I tell you how lucky I am?" Harry asked, smiling her at her fully.

"No, but I’d like to hear it," she said, grinning.

"I am so lucky," he said, then kissed her soundly.

"That was nice," Hermione said as they broke apart.

"Nice? Just nice?" Harry asked, pouting.

"It was excellent," Hermione laughed. "Happy?"

"A bit," he said. They sat down at the base of a tall tree, and Hermione leaned her head back against Harry’s chest.

"I’m going to miss you, Harry," she said softly, intertwining her fingers with his.

"I’m going to miss you too, ‘Mione," he whispered, kissing her neck. She laughed softly.

"But there’s always Ron’s house to look forward to in the summer,’ she pointed out.

"True," he replied thoughtfully. "But what am I going to do until then?"

"Keep yourself occupied," Hermione answered. Turning her head, she kissed him once more, snaking her tongue out to meet his. His arms immediately encircled her stomach, pulling her against him. One of her hands went behind his head, smashing their lips together. The other hand stayed entwined with his.

"That, I’m definitely going to miss," he said breathlessly when they broke apart in dire need of oxygen.

Time passed, too fast for their taste, as they watched the sun set in the horizon in each other’s arms, talking, laughing, and exchanging kisses. After a while, Harry reluctantly glanced at his watch, and noticing that it was seven already, bolted upright.

"Something wrong, Harry?" her voice showed concern.

"No," he answered quickly. "I just remembered…we have to get back to the common room."

"Why?" she asked, frowning.

"Because…because I have an overdue library book! That I forgot to return!" he said hastily, congratulating himself on coming up with a good excuse this fast.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, standing up. He pulled himself up as well. "You’re so irresponsible!"

"I forgot," he tried his best to put on an embarrassed expression.

"Well, come on then! Let"s go!" Hermione ordered, pulling on his hand.

"Right," he said as they hurried up to the castle.

"I can’t believe this. Saving it for the last day…" Hermione muttered all the way up to the common room. Here, noticing that she was a bit preoccupied, he stepped in front of her.

"Um, I also need you to close your eyes," he said, wincing a bit. How was he going to give an excuse for this?

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"That’s a good question," he muttered to himself.

"Hermione! Harry!" Lavender came running from the other end of the hall. Both looked up to see her skid to a stop, panting.

"What?" Harry asked, thanking the heavens above for the temporary distraction.

"There’s something ugly on the other side that you do not want to see. If you let me go ahead, then I’ll clear it up for you and everything will be OK," she let out in one breath.

"What’s there? Come on! Let me just go in! We’ll be late for the feast!" Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Um, Dean got sick all over the carpet. Right after you left. One of Fred and George’s tricks that he got somehow. Just do as I say. Its not a pleasant sight," Lavender said, a note of desperation in her voice. As Harry caught this, he understood why she was here, and thanked the heavens again.

"Ugh. All right," Hermione snapped, closing her eyes. "There. Now open the door!"

"OK. Snapping Strawberries," she recited the password, grinning at Harry.

"Don’t peek, Hermione!" she warned as the portrait slowly swung open.

"I’m not!" Hermione replied, annoyed. Harry took her hand and led her into the common room, where Ron and Lavender had done a magnificent job. He almost didn’t recognize the room.

"All right. Open," Harry commanded. Hermione followed and gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Her eyes grew round as saucers.

"What… what…" she couldn’t form full sentences as she looked around the room. The couches and chairs had all been moved, and a single square table for two sat in the center of the room on top of a very clean Gryffindor- colored carpet. Tiny lights twinkled from the corners of the room and along the walls, and candles hung in mid-air, much like the Great Hall.

"Surprise!" Harry, Lavender, and Ron, who had just entered, shouted.

"Oh my god," Hermione whispered.

"’Oh my god’ good or ‘Oh my god’ bad?" Harry asked carefully.

"Oh my god wonderful!" Hermione squealed, throwing her arms around Harry and almost knocking him to the ground. Then, she gave Lavender and Ron rib- breaking hugs as well, exclaiming, "Thank you!" over and over.

"You’re very welcome, ‘Mione," Ron said, grinning.

"Well, have fun, you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do," Lavender said, wiggling her eyebrows. Hermione laughed.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, looking at Ron, who held a finger up to his mouth above Lavender’s head.

"Out for a walk by the lake," Lavender answered. Then, with a thumbs-up, the couple left.

"Madame…" Harry extended his hand out, and Hermione laughed but took it. They walked over to the table and sat.

"Harry, this is too much. All of you really shouldn’t have," she said, looking around in wonder.

"Anything for you," he said softly, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. She looked into his striking eyes and smiled warmly. He grinned back, then said, "Now, for the final touch." Waving his wand in the air, the ceiling disappeared, to be replaced by the stars of the night and a bright full moon. A soft breeze ruffled their hair.

"Wow. Where’d you learn how to do this?" she asked, looking up with a big smile.

"From the overdue library book," he answered, and she burst out laughing. He joined, and then they fell quiet, just gazing into each other’s eyes.

"Harry Potter!" a squeaky voice interrupted their silent conversation. Harry looked down to see Dobby the house-self standing with a grin.

"Dobby!" Hermione exclaimed, torn between shock and amusement. Someone (undoubtedly Ron and Lavender) had talked him into wearing a small white button-down shirt, and a bright blue-and-pink striped tie. He also donned a black apron tied around his waist and a small top hat in -between his floppy ears.

Harry almost burst out laughing, but noticing that Hermione was around and knowing that that wouldn’t be nice, he settled for a polite smile.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"And why are you all dressed up?" Harry added.

"Mister Weasley and Miss Lavender is asking Dobby to be shef for Harry Potter and Miss Hermione, sir!"

"Do you mean chef, Dobby?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Yes! Miss Lavender is even offering Dobby five Galleons! But Dobby says he’ll do it for free, sir! Mister Weasley forced Dobby into taking the Galleons, sir!" Dobby explained in frenzy.

"That’s…great, Dobby!" Harry said, at a loss for other words.

"Dobby, I’ll give you five more Galleons if you’ll go off and relax," Hermione said gently.

"No, no!" Dobby shook his head so fast that his ears flapped wildly. "Dobby ever quits a job, miss!"

"But…" Hermione started.

"Hermione, just let it go. Please? For tonight?" Harry looked at her pleadingly. She sighed in defeat.

"All right," she grumbled. Dobby and Harry beamed. Dobby snapped his fingers, and the napkins that were folded so neatly beside the gleaming plates flew in the air, unfolded, and laid themselves neatly on their laps.

Dobby snapped his fingers again. A fresh salad, complete with dressing, appeared in the bowl in front of them. Hermione smiled at Harry, who smiled back as he surveyed her. She seemed truly happy. Then, he bent down and began to eat. Chewing, he looked up to see Hermione stuffing her mouth. He laughed, causing her to look up.

"What?! I’m starving!" she exclaimed over a mouthful of lettuce.

After the salad appeared a delicious Filet Mignon with a side of fettuccini marinated in creamy sauce, which they finished rather quickly, considering their hunger. The main course out of the way, the desert arrived with another snap of Dobby’s fingers. Two cups of smooth chocolate mousse with a fresh strawberry on top rested in front of them.

"Is this your doing, then, Mr. Potter?" Hermione smirked, glancing up.

"Maybe. Do you like it?" he asked testily.

"Harry, you know this is my favorite," she replied as she ate the strawberry.

"Then, it’s my doing," he answered, grinning.

After dinner, which had made both of them very full, the table had disappeared and a scarlet couch for two sat in front of the fire, which was now blazing. Harry and Hermione sat, her head resting on his shoulder, his arm around her, and gazed into the fire.

"I wonder what’s going to happen next year," Hermione wondered out loud.

"I hope, nothing," he replied softly.

"Do you think Voldemort’s going to come back, Harry?" she asked, eyes glued to the fire.

"I don’t know, Hermione," he answered honestly. "But if he does, I’ll be ready for him."

"That was one of the scariest experiences I have ever had," she said, recalling the memories of that horrible night. She gave an involuntary shudder. His arm tightened around her.

"I don’t want anything like that to ever happen again. You almost died, Harry! I don’t know what I’d do if anything close to that happened again," she said heavily.

"Hey," Harry said, moving so that they were sitting facing each other. "Nothing is going to happen to me, or you, or Ron, or anyone. We fought him off this time, we can do it again next time. Besides, I would never let anything happen to you," he said, cupping her face in his hands. She smiled, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You’re right. It’s done. It’s in the past. Let’s just…concentrate on now," she said softly, then leaned in and sealed his lips with hers. He kissed back fiercely. She gently pushed him back until he was lying with her on top, never breaking the kiss. His hands snaked around her waist, making her laugh against his mouth.

"What’s so funny?" he asked, pulling apart.

"That tickles," she whispered before claiming his lips once more.

"It’s my turn now," Harry said, grinning mischievously, trying to catch his breath. He sat up, which caused her to lie down, and lowered his lips onto hers again. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him even closer.

"Ouch!" she said softly, wincing. Harry immediately pulled back.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"The chair’s arm," she said. Harry sat up.

"Would you like to get more comfortable?" he asked, grinning widely.

"Why, thank you for the offer, you gentleman, you," she replied, raising her eyebrows briefly before giving him her sweetest smile. "I would."

"Your wish is my command," he said, waving his wand. Immediately, the couch transferred into a queen-sized bed, and Hermione’s head was resting on an incredibly soft pillow.

"Wow, your Transfiguration skills are quite fascinating!" she exclaimed. "Let me guess, the overdue book?"

"Actually, and I can’t believe you of all people are wrong, I learned it from Professor McGonagall," he answered, sticking his nose in the air.

Hermione laughed. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," he said, and cut off any further coherent thoughts with a slow, sensual kiss. Hermione gasped sharply, somewhat caught off-guard. Her hands came up to hold Harry’s cheeks in her hands, running her thumbs over his well-defined cheekbones. Slowly, Harry undid the clasp of Hermione’s robe and pushed it off of her shoulder. Hermione arched her back to help him, and finally, her robe, along with his, lay forgotten on the floor.

She ran her hands through his soft hair, and slowly removed his glasses, setting them on the small table beside the bed. Somehow, the fact that his eyes seemed brighter without his glasses occurred to her as she ran her fingers through his messy hair and stared into his eyes. Without breaking eye contact, her fingers left his hair and traveled down to the striped tie around his neck. She loosened it, and he helped her undo it. She pulled his tie down and claimed his lips. The impact was so strong, she suspected that it might leave a bruise later. Right now, though, she didn’t care.

Next came the shirt. Her fingers unclasped the buttons on his crisp white shirt. The soft breeze that flowed through the room ruffled his hair as she worked on each button until the shirt was completely open. She slipped her hands inside over his broad shoulders and pushed the annoying piece of cloth off. He raised his arms to completely slip it off, and it joined their robes on the floor.

"I believe you have the upper hand here, Ms. Granger," Harry whispered.

"Want to do something about it?" she asked, grinning.

"You bet I do," he grinned back and, in a matter of moments, her tie and shirt kept the other items of clothing company on the floor.

"You’re beautiful," he said before dropping a quick kiss on her lips. Then, bending his head, placed butterfly kisses on her neck. She sighed and kissed him just below the earlobe. He lightly bit the area between her neck and collarbone, leaving a small mark there. Grinning, something suddenly occurred to him.

"Hermione, I have to ask you something," he said, looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

When we were at the cliff, you know, with Voldemort, and I was in that trance, and you said you loved me, did…did you really mean it?" he asked, half not wanting to know the answer.

She laughed softly.

"Yes, Harry. I did," she said, looking directly into his eyes. "I realized that if I lost you, it would be like losing my meaning in life. And I also realized that if I felt this way, it must mean I love you. And I do."

He grinned, then kissed her deeply. She kissed back full-force, and he started again on her collarbone, slowly traveling down. She exhaled and threw her head back to allow more access, running her hands over his strong back. When he arrived at the final piece of cloth that was covering her upper body, he sighed.

"This just won’t work," he said, shaking his head.

"Then I guess a change needs to be made," she whispered, pulling his hair so he looked up at her. His hands went around her back and slowly unclasped the forest green bra.

Harry stopped to gaze down at her breasts. Slowly, he bent his head down to kiss the soft crevice between them. She ran her fingers through his thick hair as he moved his mouth to one of her nipples. She let out a groan at the initial contact as a million feelings surged through her. As he moved to the other, she grabbed his hair in her fists. He lifted his head, and her hands immediately went to his belt buckle.

"Hermione," Harry started, his pants constricting, "are…are you sure?"

"More sure than I’ve ever been," she said and undid the buckle. Harry worked her skirt, and those items went to the floor as well. Hermione briefly noticed that he wore black boxer shorts, and how tight they were getting. She smiled, the butterflies beginning to make their appearance.

"Harry…" she whispered, leaning up on her elbows to kiss him. He nibbled on her lower lip gently, and she opened her mouth, running her tongue over his upper lip. He let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and their tongues engaged in a brutal battle. Her fingers brushed lightly against him on top of the boxers, getting a full moan out of him.

Harry’s hands trailed blazing paths slowly down Hermione’s side, all the way to her knees, then changed directions as it came back up, this time on the inside of her thigh. His index finger hooked onto the strap of her underwear.

"I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve never actually done this before," she whispered, her face wearing an expression that he was sure matched his.

"Neither have I, but I think we’ll be OK," he said, smiling before engaging her in another mind-blowing kiss. He slowly pulled the satin down her legs and her fingers trailed the elastic on the top of the shorts.

In one swift motion, his boxers were laying on top of her satin panties. Hermione looked at him, and took in a sharp breath. He was gorgeous.

"Have you been holding out on me?" she asked, raising one eyebrow at him.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, looking her up and down with a smirk. The thought that she was shaped like a goddess swam through his mind.

"Absolutely. Now shut up and kiss me, Potter," she pulled him down, and in the middle of the kiss, flipped over so she was sitting on top.

"My turn," she grinned evilly and kissed him fully on his already swollen lips. He didn’t argue, just ran his hands up and down her back and sides. Moving away, she sucked on his earlobe, then trailed kisses down his neck, collarbone, and chest, where she took one of his nipples into her mouth. Harry groaned, grasping at her hair. She did the same with the other, then continued downward over his well-toned stomach and, as she neared her destination, went back up and kissed him, drawing a moan from him.

He flipped her over quickly, and as his weight fell and settled in-between her thighs, she inhaled slowly.

"You’re positive, ‘Mione? Because we can stop now…" she silenced him by pulling him all the way on top of her and kissing him.

"I’m just a bit nervous," she confessed.

"We"ll be fine," he assured and slowly entered her. She gasped at the stroke of pain it brought, and he crushed his lips with hers in an attempt to take her mind off the pain. She whimpered lightly against his lips for a moment, getting used to him inside of her.

After a moment, she opened her eyes slowly and released the breath she had been holding when a new feeling dominated: pleasure.

She clung onto his back as he moved inside of her, slowly at first as not to cause her any more pain, going deeper with every gentle thrust.

He moaned as he buried his face in her neck. Hermione bit her lip from screaming as wave after wave washed over her. She moved her legs farther apart, grinding into him. In response, he moved a bit faster, raising his head to study her face. She gazed deep into his eyes as she thrust harder as well. She moved under him faster, urging him on.

"Oh God, Hermione…" Harry started.

As they quickened their pace, Hermione felt her adrenaline rising inside of her.

"Harry…" she moaned, shutting her eyes.

Raising her hips one more time, she crashed into him as he let go inside of her.

Breathing heavily, he buried his head in her neck. She clung to him, the sweat on his back matching hers.

"Wow, that was…" he started as soon as he had caught his breath.

"Amazing. Wonderful," she listed as she kissed him, running her hands through his hair. The breeze that flitted by made her shiver, and she could feel the goosebumps on his arms. Moving slowly, him still on top of her, they got under the covers, and she held onto him as he rested his head just above her chest, where he could hear her slowing heartbeat. She ran her hands slowly through his hair, kissing his forehead.

"I love you, Hermione Granger," he said, shifting slowly so that she was nestled in his arms underneath the warm covers, her back against his chest. He gently kissed her neck.

"I love you too, Harry Potter," she said, turning briefly in his arms to kiss him one more time before turning back over.

The sight of the stars, the gentle breeze, and the drumming of each other’s heart drove the couple into a peaceful slumber, cuddled in each other’s arms. It was a perfect fit after all.

*A/N: Well, that is the end! Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank each and everyone of you for loving my story. But I’m not finished! I will be writing other stories! This was my favorite chapter by far (you can tell why), and I am so glad you all followed, liked and reviewed my story! Hope you enjoy! Bye!*