Unofficial Portkey Archive

Author's note: - Sorry for taking so long, something came up. And apologizing in advance for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: - I do not own Harry Potter and anyone or anything related.

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Really, Real

Hermione closed her diary and put it back into her bag. She was feeling very tired. After completing her homework, she added some more things in her personal diary that she had been using since she had started fake dating Harry. After putting her bag away, she switched off the lights of her room and got into her bed for a good night's sleep.

Hermione thought about the events that had occurred in last couple of days. She had been in a much better mood since the day she had told her mum about the bet and that was three days back. She felt as though if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

However, she still had a worry on her mind to think about. She still hadn't told Harry that her mum knew about the bet. She was scared of his reaction. Even though she was sure, Harry had no interest in her romantically, he had become a very good friend of hers, and she didn't want to lose his friendship.

She had very strong feelings for him and knew that it would hurt her badly if she lost his friendship, after all friendship was better than not having anything at all. She still couldn't comprehend why in just a matter of almost three months they had become such good friends, almost best friends.

Perhaps having a good friendship with someone had nothing to do with time, but their nature and personality.

Right! That was a better explanation for the closeness she and Harry shared now just in a span of almost three months. She trusted Harry almost completely and it didn't scare her rational mind that in a span of just a little under three months her life had changed completely.

Now she just had to find out a way to tell Harry that her mum knew about the bet, that too without angering him or risking their friendship.

On other hand, Harry was even in a bigger trouble as compared to Hermione.

He had tried to find a way to tell Hermione about abandonment of the bet, but didn't know how to. The simplest way was to talk to her, but various possibilities of her reaction scared him.

Things were confused at the moment. First, he didn't want to lose her friendship. Then he wanted more than friendship with her, and then he had to find a way to reveal about cancelling of bet to Hermione without making her angry.

Surely, he could tell her that he cancelled the bet for her and because he really had started to have feelings for her, that he really liked her. But would she believe him that his feelings were genuine and not some part of the fake dating thing.

The main reason for Harry's concern was that whether Hermione would believe him or not. He was scared what if she thought that he simply wanted to make fun of her. She had once admitted to him that before meeting him she had thought him to be arrogant and stuck-up just like Cho.

Despite all his fears and confusions, Harry could still see a major positive thing that could turn the events in his favor. Hermione had told him that her views about him had changed, and she knew he was different from what she thought earlier. It was a soothing thought for Harry that Hermione was a rational person and would give him a chance to explain himself before reaching on any kind of judgment, especially now that she knew him so well.

Besides, he had noticed that Hermione couldn't stay mad at him for long. She didn't like to hold grudges, especially against him.

Now he just had to make decision about when to disclose everything in front of Hermione, including his feelings. There was no point going over it repeatedly. Someday he would have to tell her, then why not now. He had to believe that Hermione would listen to him, that she wouldn't discard his reasoning and feelings. He knew he would have to tell her everything before end of March when time of the bet was supposed to be over.

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Four days before the end of March

"Hey Neville, hey Luna," Hermione said sitting next to Luna and in front of Neville.

"Hi," Neville said with a smile and Luna simply nodded, acknowledging her best friend's presence.

"So did you find the books we were looking for?" Hermione asked them.

"Yeah, we found out some books, but it still doesn't cover all the topics." Neville said gesturing towards the books lying on the table in front of him.

"We can get rest of the data from the net." Hermione said going through one of the books Neville and Luna had gathered.

They were sitting in the library, working on their biology project. Hermione, Luna, and Neville were partnered together for the project.

After some time, "Hermione," Neville started uncertainly.

"Yeah," Hermione said distractedly as she was going through the content list of the book she was having in her hand.

When Neville didn't say anything, she looked up from the book.

"Sorry…so what were you saying?" She asked with a sheepish smile.

Neville looked nervous. "C…Can…Can I join your study group?" He stammered.

When Hermione didn't respond immediately,

"Well, just forget I said anything. I am sorry…" Neville started, but Hermione interrupted him.

"Of course you can join us, Neville." She said with a smile.

"I can?" Neville said looking surprised. When Hermione and Luna nodded, Neville gave them a relieved smile.

"Thanks. For a moment I thought you would say no." He said with a rueful smile.

"No Neville, actually I am sorry. I was just not fast enough to reply. You just caught me off guard for a moment." Hermione said looking apologetic.

"No problem Hermione." Neville replied, dismissing her apology, "You know, I am having difficulty with some of the subjects and had no idea what to do. I didn't want to attend remedial classes either, you know how they are." He took a pause. Realizing that he was going to continue, Hermione and Luna simply nodded in understanding.

Neville continued. "This morning when I was in cafeteria, I heard Romilda talking to Cho about the study sessions she was attending with you, Luna, Ron, and Harry. So I thought…"

"Wait!" Hermione interrupted him, "What you mean by Romilda talking to Cho?" She asked looking a little shocked.

When Neville looked confused, Luna explained him. "Neville, Romilda and Cho are not talking to each other."

"Really?" Neville said looking surprised, "But I have seen them talking with each other lots of times." He said, nonplussed.

"Have you seen them talking with each other in last few weeks?" Luna asked curiously, leaning forward in her chair.

"Yeah," Neville replied nonchalantly, "I didn't know they were not talking to each other. I mean I saw them this morning, though I don't think they saw me, and I have seen them talking with each other in last few weeks as well. Their talks looked quite friendly to me." He finished.

Luna sighed audibly as she relaxed back in her chair. She looked at Hermione who was deep in thought.

"So?" She said.

Hermione looked at her and chuckled, and next moment both Hermione and Luna burst out laughing, while poor Neville continued to stare at them confusedly.

"What?" He asked, bewildered. However, Hermione and Luna did not answer, being unable to control their laugh.

"S…Sorry Neville," Luna said hiccupping.

"So?" Neville asked again.

"It's just that we thought Romilda and Cho were not talking to each other. That's why we started laughing." Hermione replied without revealing everything.

"Oh," Neville said, "well, so when would you guys be having your next study session?" He asked.

"Today, at Harry's place, we would be going directly to his place after school. You can come with us." Luna replied.

Neville looked tense as he spoke. "Do you think he would mind if I join you?"

Hermione thought for a moment before replying, "I am sure he won't mind, and you both already know each other."

Neville nodded, though he still looked a little nervous.

"And Neville, can you do us a favor?" Luna asked.

"What?" Neville asked.

"Please don't tell anybody that you saw Romilda and Cho talking, and that you told us about them." Luna replied. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Yeah sure, no problem," Neville replied with a shrug.

Hermione simply smiled in return and turned her attention back to what she was doing earlier. However, her thoughts wandered towards the boy sitting in front of her.

Neville Longbottom, he was a decent and a shy person.

The very first time when she had spent some real friendly time with Neville was when they were kids. Hermione's mum had taken her to join a class for learning ice-skating. There she had met Neville as well and that was the first time she had spoken to him.

Next time she saw him in the school, they didn't talk straightaway, as Neville was too shy to speak in front of many students. However, later on, he had started hanging out with her and Luna every now and then, mainly for study purpose, and well, that was it.

They knew each other, sometimes they used to study together as well, but that was the limit of their association. They had kind of become good friends, but maybe the friend term was wrong. She didn't remember if they had even exchanged the Christmas gifts in those early years.

However, for last two Christmases, they had started exchanging the gifts. They had reached to the point where they could call each other good friends.

Hermione felt a little guilty. In last few months, or more specifically last two months since she had met Harry, it was like she had completely forgotten about Neville. After Christmas holidays, she didn't have a proper conversation with Neville, even for once.

However, for last few days, Neville had once again started to hang out with them.

And this time Hermione was determined to make Neville feel that, he had friends, good friends who cared about him and liked him the way he was.

She brought her attention back to the research as she, Luna and Neville continued to search for their project until it was time to leave.

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When Hermione, Luna, and Neville got out of their school building, Ron was waiting for them. He was still in his school uniform.

"Hey," Luna said hugging him and giving him a light peck on the lips. Ron grinned at her and looked at others.

"Hi Hermione," He said and Hermione smiled in return. Then Ron looked at Neville. "Neville, it's nice to see you." He said extending his hand towards him.

Neville relaxed a bit and grinned at the redhead in front of him.

"Hey Ron," He replied shaking his hand.

"Neville would be joining us in our study sessions." Luna said.

"That's great. The more the better, at least you could keep this one distracted so I could take a nap in between." Ron said with a smirk pointing towards Hermione. Neville chuckled in response.

Hermione simply rolled her eyes at Ron's antics and gave him a light punch on his shoulder. "Git," She said. Ron just laughed and gestured others to move towards parking where his car was parked. It was a white Audi TTS Quattro. Hermione raised her eyebrows looking impressed with the choice, not that anybody noticed that.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked when they got into the car. Ron and Luna were sitting in the front, and Hermione and Neville were sitting in the back.

"He'd to pick up his mum from the office. He said he'd meet us directly at his place." Ron replied while starting the car.

"Okay," Hermione said feeling a little disappointed. She was hoping Harry would come to pick them. She leaned back on her seat and looked outside window as car started moving towards Harry's place.

Hermione was feeling very tired and suddenly she realized something.

"Umm…Luna," She called.

Luna turned back to look at Hermione. "Yeah," She said.

"We forgot to ask Romilda to come with us." She said.

Luna just shook her head. "I am sure she won't mind." She said winking at her best friend.

Hermione shared a secret smile with Luna, leaving the two boys confused.

Hermione closed her eyes to relax for few minutes, and next moment she felt somebody shaking her. She opened her eyes to see that Neville was trying to wake her. Hermione was surprised to see that they were already at Harry's place. She felt as though if only a minute had passed since she closed her eyes to relax.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts realizing that Ron, Luna, and Neville were already out of the car and they were waiting for her to get out.

"Sorry," She mumbled getting out of the car.

"It's alright." Luna said, "It was a tiring day I guess."

"Yeah" Neville said agreeing with her.

After Ron locked the car, four of them moved towards the door and Hermione rang the doorbell.

After some time Elizabeth opened the door. She smiled looking at them. She let them in and led them to the study room.

When they entered the room Harry's father James Potter was already there. He was going through a magazine when they entered.

"Hey," He said with a smile when they entered the room. Hermione was a little taken aback seeing him there.

"Hello Mr. Potter," Ron said depositing his bag on the couch. Hermione frowned at his behavior and stepped forward.

"Umm…Sorry Mr. Potter, we didn't know you would be here. We would just leave." Hermione said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh no, I was just leaving." James said getting up from his seat. Hermione noticed the magazine in his hand. It was a sports magazine.

After exchanging the greetings others, James made to leave. "Well, I better get going." He said and hurried out of the room.

Ron, Neville, Luna, and Hermione settled themselves in the room. They decided to wait for Harry before starting any new topic. So Ron picked up the sports magazine from the table that James had left behind, while Luna and Hermione started telling Neville about things they had covered in last two months.

"How will I catch up with you guys?" Neville asked worriedly.

"Don't worry Neville, we'll help you." Luna said in a soothing way.

Ron looked up from the magazine. "Yeah Neville, you should not worry. These two have the way of explaining things that they get fixed in your mind and then you never forget them." He said in a mock serious tone.

"Are you making fun of us?" Hermione asked glaring at Ron.

"Of course not Hermione," Luna spoke in a dreamy voice before Ron could answer, "He's complimenting us." She finished looking at Ron with adoration.

Ron grinned at her. "Thanks love," He said kissing her lightly on the lips. Neville and Hermione shared a look and went back to what they were doing earlier.

After some time they heard the doorbell.

"It must be Harry and his mum." Ron guessed.

After some time they heard footsteps coming upstairs and then Harry Potter entered the room, his school bag hanging off his shoulder. After closing the door of the room, he came into the room and sat down on an empty seat next to Hermione.

"Hi," He said tiredly.

"Hi," Ron, Luna, Hermione, and Neville said at once. Five of them started laughing at that.

Harry noticed Neville was there as well. "Neville," He said in a surprised voice.

Neville was feeling uneasy. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to come at Harry's place.

"Is it all right with you Harry, if I study with you guys?" Neville asked Harry, feeling extremely worried. He was used to the company of Hermione and Luna, but it would be first time he would be in company of their boyfriends. Although Neville knew Ron and Harry, he was still feeling edgy.

Seeing Neville's nervousness, Hermione addressed Harry. "Neville was worried about studying with us." She said.

Harry frowned. "Why?" He asked, "We don't bite." He said innocently, looking at Neville.

Neville's eyes widened at this. "I..I didn't mean…" He would have continued if he hadn't seen an amused smile appearing on Harry's lips.

"Relax Neville," Harry said in a friendly voice, "You are most welcome to join us. You don't have to ask even."

"Thanks," Neville said with a shy smile.

"You don't have to thank for this. You're our friend Neville." Luna said affably.

Neville just smiled at her. Just then, he remembered something.

"Oh I forgot. I had to make a call. You see, I forgot to inform at home that I would be arriving late today. So can I use your phone?" Neville asked.

"Sure," Harry said. He took out his cell phone from his bag and handed it to Neville.

After Neville called at his place, five of them started studying what they were planning to cover that day.

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They were studying when Lily Potter came into the room.

"Hello everyone," She said warmly. Ron, Luna, Hermione, and Neville greeted her.

"Mum," Harry said with a questioning look on his face.

"Sorry to disturb, but I just wanted to tell that your dad and I are going out." Lily said looking at her son, "And William called to invite you and your friends for his birthday party."

Harry groaned loudly. "I'll not go there." He said stubbornly, despite knowing that he would lose the battle in the end.

"Harry," Lily said in a scolding tone, "You are going, and that's final.", and then she left the room.

"You guys are coming with me." Harry said to his companions.

Hermione stared at him, shocked. "What?" Harry said defensively, "You are my girlfriend and they are my friends, you have to come."

Then Harry looked at Neville. "You are also coming, Neville." He said in a firm voice.

"William's your cousin, right?" Neville asked. Harry nodded.

"Well I have been invited to his party as well. I wasn't going to go, but if you guys are going…" Neville trailed off looking at others expectantly.

"Great! So it's final, we're going." Harry said leaving no place for argument and they continued to study after that.

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Hermione was late. It was 7:30 PM and Harry was going to pick her up for the party at 7:45 PM. She searched her wardrobe to find something suitable for the party. Finally she decided to go with the black boat-neck sweater (that she wore when Harry's family had invited her family for dinner), white collared shirt (of which only collar was visible), and a black jeans. She looked into the mirror.

`I guess this would do.' Hermione thought. She brushed her hair and tied in a low ponytail and then after quickly putting on the shoes and socks, she left the room and went downstairs.

Hermione made her way towards the living room where her parents were sitting.

"Ready?" Jane asked.

"Yeah." Hermione replied sitting next to her mum.

"So whose birthday party it is?" Robert asked his daughter.

"William, he's Harry's cousin from his dad's side family." Hermione replied.

Robert nodded.

"So Hermione do you think you need a cell phone?" Robert asked out of the blue.

"No dad, I don't need one. Why?" Hermione said looking surprised.

Robert simply shrugged. "It's easier to be in contact with others. Like right now, you are going to a party. If you need any help, you can call us straight away or if we want to talk to you we can call you." He said.

Hermione nodded in understanding. "I understand your point dad, but I don't need a cell phone right now, maybe when I go to college I'll need one. And for tonight, you have Harry's cell number. I'll be with him the whole time, so if you want to talk to me you can call at his number. I already told him about it. He said he doesn't mind." She said.

Jane smiled at her daughter's thoughtfulness. "That's my girl." She said proudly kissing Hermione on her forehead.

At that point, doorbell rang. Hermione went to open the door. It was Harry. He was wearing a simple crisp white shirt, black coat, and black trouser, looking like a Greek god. Hermione had no idea how he could look so handsome with those messy hair and green eyes behind spectacles. It was a sin for him to do so, and she could nothing, but stare at him like some stupid fan girl.

"Hi," Hermione said, pulling herself out of her thoughts.

"Hi. Are you ready?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Hermione replied. She turned towards her parents who had followed her out of the living room.

"Mum, Dad, we are leaving." Hermione said.

Robert nodded. "Take care of Hermione." He said to Harry.

"Dad!" Hermione exclaimed, "I am not a kid that Harry needs to look after." She said looking indignant.

"Don't worry Mr. Granger; I'll take care of Hermione." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Oh honestly!" She huffed. Harry, Robert, and Jane shared a laugh at this.

"Take care, dear." Jane said giving one-armed hug to her daughter, "You too Harry." She said looking at the young man standing in front of her.

"Thank you," Harry said.

After saying their goodbyes Harry and Hermione left.

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Harry parked the car in the parking lot of The Three Broomsticks, one of the largest and luxurious restaurants in London, where birthday party of Harry's cousin had been organized. Hermione noticed that other guests were arriving as well and they all did not look more than the age of 20.

When Harry and Hermione entered the restaurant, they saw Neville standing near the entrance looking around nervously.

"Hey Neville," Hermione said.

"Hermione, Harry," Neville looked relieved, "Finally, you guys are here." He said.

Harry was about to reply when his cell phone started ringing.

"I'll be back." Harry said. Hermione simply nodded as Harry went back out of the restaurant.

"I am glad you came here Neville," Hermione said.

"Me too," Neville replied bashfully, "I mean it's the first time I am out with friends." He said looking excited. Hermione smiled at his enthusiasm.

Just then, Hermione saw Harry coming back.

"We should go back outside. Ron and Luna are about to arrive. Then we can go in together." Harry said stopping in front of Hermione and Neville.

"Ok," Neville said. Hermione nodded in agreement.

Harry took hold of Hermione's hand, an unintended gesture, which went unnoticed by him, but Hermione noticed it and felt a warming sensation going all over her body.

They had to wait for just 5 minutes when Ron and Luna arrived. After that, five of them went back inside the restaurant. They followed other guests further inside the restaurant and through the glass door. There was a path made of stones, illuminating under the soft light of thick colorful candles placed on both sides of the path all the way. Trees on both sides of the path were adorned with soft lights making them look like a live creature.

"Wow!" Hermione said, "Your cousin sure knows how to throw a party." She said looking amazed. Hermione was walking ahead with Harry, holding hands, and Ron, Luna, and Neville were just behind them.

However, instead of looking happy, Harry frowned at her statement.

"Yeah, he does." He responded sardonically after a couple of moments.

Path led them to a large garden where people were enjoying the party. Garden was surrounded by trees that were adorned with dim lights similar to the lights on the trees at the sides of the stone path. In middle of the garden was an oval shaped pool filled with water sparkling under the lights. On other side of the pool, some couples were dancing on a fast music. Hermione could also see the tables filled with various dishes.

For a moment, five of them simply stood there staring at the party.

Then Neville spoke, "What do we do now?"

"Well, it's your cousin's party, so lead the way." Hermione said looking at Harry, and next moment she felt stupid for saying that.

"I am doing no such thing." Harry said bitterly.

"What's wrong with you?" Hermione hissed.

"I am starving. Let's go and eat something." Ron interrupted. Harry and Hermione simply nodded, letting go of their conversation. They made their way towards the food table.

Hermione saw that Harry was looking very uncomfortable. She tugged at his hand, and he looked down at her. "Are you alright?" She asked with a concerned look in her eyes.

Harry looked at Hermione to respond. However, before Harry could answer, a voice interrupted him, "Harry,"

Harry closed his eyes in frustration. Then, he brought a smile on his face and turned around to see his cousin making his way towards him and his friends.

"William," Harry said with a smile as his cousin came and stood in front of him.

Hermione felt Harry's grip tightening on her hand as he talked with his cousin.

"It's so nice to see you Harry, Ron, Neville." William said with a forced smile.

He was quite handsome, Hermione noticed, feeling completely detached. He had sandy brown messy hair, high cheekbones, and strong jawline. His lips were full and his eyes were icy blue. He was a little shorter than Harry was, but more muscular. He was wearing an expensive, stylish suit that completed his overall appearance.

"Same here, William. Happy Birthday," Harry said extending his hand towards his cousin. Others too wished him for his birthday.

"Thank you so much." William replied looking at them. Then his eyes focused on Hermione, and Hermione felt Harry wrapping his arm around her waist pulling her closer.

"Won't you introduce me to your new friends, Harry?" William said looking at Harry with a raised eyebrow. Then he looked at Luna and Hermione.

"Why not William," Harry said with a polite smile, even though inside he was seething.

"This is Luna, Ron's girlfriend." Harry said gesturing towards Luna who was standing next to Ron, "And this is Hermione, my girlfriend." He finished. Hermione could feel a note of pride in Harry's voice as he introduced her. She felt giddy inside.

"I must say I feel quite fortunate to meet such lovely ladies." William said with a charming smile. Luna and Hermione both were looking at William so they missed the angry looks that passed across Harry and Ron's face.

"Thank you." Hermione replied with a smile.

William looked back at Harry and spoke, "You know Harry, I would like you to meet someone. Just wait here I'll be back in a second."

William disappeared in the crowd and came back a couple of minutes later with a girl. She was tall, slender and had wavy, waist length blond hair. Her eyes were green (though not like Harry's eyes, Hermione thought) and she was wearing a halter-neck, ankle length, blood red gown, making her look like some beauty goddess.

"Guys this is," William started introducing, but stopped in mid-sentence, "But I don't need to introduce her to Harry. After all, she is Harry's ex-girlfriend. Isn't it Harry?"

"We dated just for two weeks." Harry said irritatingly, looking a little uncomfortable. Hermione was shocked.

"Hello Harry," William's girlfriend said, looking at Harry with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Hello Daphne," Harry said in a detached voice.

"Guys, this is Daphne Greengrass, my girlfriend." William introduced with a wide smile, "I hope you don't mind Harry." Then William looked at others. "Actually Daphne and Harry broke up because of me. You see, Daphne and I have very strong feelings for each other." He continued looking apologetic.

Harry was seeing red. He was feeling so angry that he just wanted to break his face. William Potter was his cousin and a childhood enemy.

`Just like Hermione and Romilda.' Harry thought feeling amused.

William always thought that he was superior to Harry. He would never let go of any opportunity of offending Harry, although in an indirect way. Since their childhood days, he always wanted everything better than what Harry had. Harry never really held any kind of grudges against him, but something that William did to him changed everything in his heart. Now he felt disgusted by William's presence and didn't want anything to do with him.

While William always tried to make Harry feel jealous of him, in truth, it was William, who was jealous of Harry. And, Harry knew the main reason behind his jealousy.

Like Harry, William was also a Hogwarts student. However, in their third year, William was caught cheating in mid-terms and was expelled from the school straightaway. Even though it wasn't Harry's fault, William's behavior turned more drastic towards Harry.

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After introducing his girlfriend and chatting for some more time with Harry and his friends, William left with his girlfriend. Throughout the conversation, Hermione saw that Daphne's whole attention was on Harry and she wasn't even trying to be subtle about it.

Once William left they all sat down at a table. Ron was feeling hungry so he left the table to get something to eat and Neville joined him as well.

"Daphne is your ex-girlfriend." Hermione said.

"Yeah," Harry said moodily, avoiding Hermione's eyes.

Hermione didn't say anything. But she couldn't stop her thoughts from creating doubts in her mind.

`Why Harry is so distressed? Is it because of Daphne? Does he have strong feelings for her? Is he regretting bringing me here with him?' Thoughts continued to swirl in her mind and she felt sadder with each passing moment.

Hermione felt a hand on her wrist and looked up to find Luna looking at her worriedly. Luna didn't say anything. She just squeezed her best friend's hand comfortingly. Hermione gave her a small smile and looked back at Harry.

Harry could feel Hermione's eyes on him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. He had no idea what Hermione would be thinking about him after the little stunt William pulled off.

`Does Hermione think I am a loser? What if she likes William? What would I do if …' Harry pulled himself out of his thoughts. He stood up abruptly.

He looked down at Hermione. "I'll go and see where Ron and Neville are." He said and without waiting for any reply, he left.

Harry simply moved around aimlessly, meeting some of his schoolmates and other friends in between. Finally, once he felt that his anger was under control, he decided to make his way back to the table where Hermione and others were sitting. He turned around and came face to face with Daphne, standing very close to him.

"Hi Harry," She said softly.

"Hi Daphne," Harry replied stiffly.

"I didn't get a chance to have a proper conversation with you earlier. So how are you doing?" She asked, running a finger on Harry's cheek.

In response, Harry simply grabbed her hand, pulled it away from his face.

"I am fine." He replied shortly, dropping Daphne's hand.

Daphne simply chuckled at his response. "It's been a long time since we last met. I have missed you a lot. Dance with me." She said seductively.

Harry's anger flared once more. "What the hell are you playing at?" He asked angrily. However, his tone just seemed to encourage Daphne.

Daphne opened her mouth to respond, but Harry cut her off. "You know what, I am not interested in listening what you have to say. Now if you would excuse me, my girlfriend would be waiting for me." Harry said stepping past Daphne. But Daphne stopped him.

"I don't think your girlfriend would be waiting for you Harry." She said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her with narrowed eyes.

Daphne didn't say anything. She simply gestured towards the dance floor behind him.

Harry looked at her suspiciously, and then turned around. He was shocked to see that Hermione was on the dance floor with William, dancing on a slow song.

Harry just couldn't believe his eyes. "So now would you like to dance with me?" He heard Daphne whispering in his ear.

Harry was shocked and furious, extremely furious. How could Hermione dance with that git? He could feel his heartbeat rising due to anger. He took a deep breath to control his anger, but to no avail. As he saw Hermione, swaying with William on the dance floor his anger returned with full force. He knew what William and Daphne were trying to do, but he wasn't going to let them succeed.

"No Daphne, I won't dance with you." Harry replied coldly.

Squaring his shoulders, he walked towards dance floor where Hermione and William were dancing together.

Oh, Hermione was not going to like it one bit, but then she had left him no other option either.

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Hermione saw Harry leaving. She wanted to know what was making him so angry. Was it his cousin's behavior? Apart from introducing Daphne as Harry's ex-girlfriend, William seemed all right.

However, Harry's mood had taken a drastic turn. It looked like he was having a very hard time controlling his anger.

Hermione was so lost in thoughts that she didn't realize when Ron and Neville came back to table with some pastries and drinks.

"Hermione," She heard Neville's voice and pulled herself out of her thoughts and found that Neville, Ron and Luna were staring at her concernedly.

"Sorry, I was just…." Hermione trailed off.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked, handing Hermione a glass of pumpkin juice.

"He went off to find you both." Luna replied.

"He…" Ron started, but he was cut short by William who had just joined them at their table..

"Are you guys enjoying the party?" He said sitting on Harry's empty chair.

He talked with them for some time. Although he talked about general things, Hermione could feel that his motive to come at their table was something else. Unexpectedly he turned to Hermione.

"Would you like to dance with me Hermione?" He asked with a charismatic grin.

For a moment, Hermione stared at him. With a jolt, she realized that any other girl would have felt dazed seeing his dazzling smile, and handsome face. She couldn't deny that he had a certain charm about him, which probably had attracted Daphne towards him in the first place. With that dazzling smile and penetrating gaze, any girl would have felt drawn towards him. That's where the surprise moment came for Hermione, she felt nothing.

Looking at the striking face and personality of William Potter, Hermione felt nothing, absolute nothing, especially not the way she felt for Harry. Moreover, if asked for her opinion, Harry was a lot more charming than William was. And suddenly Hermione felt dazed and happy as a smile came over her lips, thinking about Harry.

`Harry Potter, even your thoughts makes me feel dizzy.' Hermione thought with an inner chuckle. Oh, how she wished Harry felt the same way when thinking about her

"Hermione, you didn't answer my question. Would you dance with me?" William asked again with a smug smile on his face, thinking his charm was working on Harry's latest girlfriend.

"Ok," Hermione answered reluctantly, not wanting to be rude with birthday boy.

She got up from her chair and looked at her friends. She was taken aback to see that Ron was looking at her disappointedly.

"We'll tell Harry you are dancing with William, when he'll come back." He said trying to sound nonchalant, but Hermione could hear the hint of anger in his voice as he looked towards William. Hermione saw the self-satisfied smirk at William's face as he looked at Ron.

Hermione didn't like it one bit, but what could she do. She had already said yes to him.

After giving a last look to angry Ron, confused Neville, and sad Luna, Hermione walked with William towards dance floor.

Once on the dance floor, William wrapped one arm around her waist and Hermione immediately felt revolted. She had no idea why.

William gently grasped Hermione's right hand, while Hermione put her left hand on his shoulder. They both started swaying on the slow music.

Hermione didn't know what to say. She hardly knew this person and here she was dancing with him. She wished Harry would come and take her away from here.

"So Hermione, tell me something about you." William started the conversation.

"Well, there's nothing much to tell about me." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Let's do one thing then. I'll ask you question about whatever I want to know about you and you answer them." He said twirling her around.

`Harry where are you?' Hermione thought, desperately wanting to get out of William's arms.

"Ok, but I can't guarantee all the answers." Hermione replied. William nodded and pulled her a little closer. Hermione immediately reacted to it and pulled a little away from him.

"How did you and Harry meet?" William asked, and so their conversation started.

William kept the conversation light asking her general questions about her life. However, Hermione noticed that most of his questions revolved around her and Harry. She didn't think much of it thinking he was just interested in his brother's life.

Hermione had started to feel a little comfortable when she saw Harry coming towards him. He came and tapped on William's shoulder.

"Can I cut in?" He asked trying to keep his voice normal; it was the different thing that he was having a hard time doing it. William turned around letting go of Hermione.

"Can't you wait Harry? Song is about to end. We were having such a wonderful conversation." William said the last part looking at Hermione, "Isn't it Hermione?"

Hermione made to reply, but Harry cut her off. "No I can't wait. She's my girlfriend and I want to dance with her now." Harry whispered angrily and took hold of Hermione's hand pulling her closer.

Hermione was speechless by Harry's behavior. He was acting like a spoilt child.

"I am sorry Harry. I didn't want to upset you. If you don't want me to dance with Hermione, I won't." William said ruefully, keeping his voice low. Then he looked at Hermione and spoke in the same tone, "I am sorry, Hermione. I didn't want to cause any problem between you and Harry."

"You're such a drama queen, William." Harry said heatedly.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed loudly making some of the other dancing couples on the floor stare at her oddly. Hermione looked around feeling embarrassed. She grabbed Harry's hand and led him away from the dance floor. Others watched as she dragged Harry along with her, but at that moment, she didn't care what others thought.

While walking away Harry looked back at William, who was looking back at him with a conceited smile on his face.

Hermione led Harry out in the parking lot where Harry had parked his car. When they reached near the car, Hermione stopped, turned around and looked at Harry

"What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked.

"What's wrong with me?" Harry said looking incredulous, "What's wrong with you? Why were you dancing with that prick?" He asked.

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest and looked at Harry.

"What's wrong in dancing with him? He asked me for a dance and I said yes." Hermione replied defiantly.

"Ugh…You are so naïve, Hermione." Harry said frustratingly.

Hermione glared at him. `How dare he call me naïve, when he is the one acting like a spoilt brat.' She thought feeling extremely angry.

"Don't you understand Hermione? Everything he did tonight, from introducing Daphne to asking you for a dance, he did it to provoke me. He tried to make me look like a bad person in front of you. But in reality he`s the bad guy here. He's like…" Harry looked for a right word, which would describe William perfectly. Suddenly it clicked in his mind.

"He's like…male version of Romilda." Harry said with a firm voice.

Next instant all anger evaporated from Hermione's mind. "Oh," was all Hermione said.

"You know, Daphne asked me for a dance. Don't you think it's quite odd, William asks you for dance and his girlfriend asks me for a dance." Harry said continuing with his explanation.

Hermione was taken aback by this.

"What I am trying to say is that, it was probably William's plan to create problems between us. He was trying to make me feel jealous. He was trying to proof that like Daphne, you also would choose him over me."

Hermione was feeling very confused by Harry's explanation now.

"Whatever he did Harry, but why you acted the way you did. I am not your real girlfriend. We're just pretending. So why would you feel jealous. Or you were jealous of Daphne and William?" Hermione asked feeling bemused.

Harry didn't answer straight away. His moment of truth had come. He didn't want to keep lying to her. He wanted to tell her the truth, truth that could set them apart or bring them closer than ever before. Harry leaned back against the side of his car and looked at Hermione.

"There are two reasons why I acted they way I did." Harry started.

Hermione waited for him to continue.

"Hermione, do you know why Cho and I broke up?" Harry asked out of the blue.

Hermione frowned. She couldn't comprehend why Harry was mentioning Cho.

"No, I don't know." Hermione replied.

"She cheated on me with William." Harry said in a low voice, but Hermione could still hear him clearly.

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, "B…But why would she cheat upon you. I mean when she had you, why did she go for William?" She blurted out. Realizing what she had said, Hermione turned blushed profusely. Unable to look Harry in eyes, she turned her eyes down towards the floor.

An amused smile came over Harry's lips as his eyes danced with laughter. Harry grabbed Hermione's chin lightly and prompted her to look up at his face.

Hermione looked into his eyes and felt something shift inside her. His eyes were clear, devoid of any confusion. He was the same Harry that she had known for last three months. Still tonight, with both of them standing alone in the parking lot, something was different about him. Something she couldn't put her finger on, something that made her heart beat faster. She felt immobilized, finding herself unable to look away from his warm emerald green eyes.

"Do you know the second reason, Hermione?" Harry whispered in her ear in a husky voice.

Hermione closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath on her cheek.

"What is it?" Hermione whispered back. Harry pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"I like you Hermione…I really, really like you. Would you like to be my girlfriend for real?" Harry said looking very anxious.

Hermione couldn't believe what her ears had heard. Did Harry just confess his feelings for her? But why would he do it? Why would he want to be with someone like her?

"Are you joking with me?" Hermione asked looking suspicious.

`If it's a joke, it's a very cruel one. Does Harry have any idea about that?' Hermione thought sadly.

Harry sighed and pulled back from Hermione and looked in her eyes. "I knew you would react that way. But I am not joking. I really like you, that is, in more than friendly ways." Harry said earnestly.

"Do you think you would ever cheat upon me?" Hermione blurted out and then cringed at her stupidity.

"What? Here I am telling you that I like you and you are asking me that whether or not I would cheat upon you. If you don't like me, then say it. Don…Don't try to…to…" Harry struggled with words, suddenly overcoming with emotions. Here he was putting his heart on line and Hermione ask him if he would cheat her.

`Does she think I am the type of guy who cheats?' Harry thought sadly.

"I am sorry, Harry. I guess I wasn't thinking properly." Hermione said looking apologetic.

"Umm…S…So you really…umm…like me?" She asked shyly, looking at Harry through her long lashes.

Harry rubbed his neck nervously. "Yeah, I do. So would you like to be my girlfriend. No pretend, but for real." He said looking at Hermione expectantly.

"Okay," Hermione simply replied.

They both stared at each other.

"So…well…Wow! You are my girlfriend now." Harry said with awe. A grin spread across his lips as he stared at Hermione. "That means I can kiss you whenever I want to." He said taking a step closer to Hermione.

Hermione's breathe stilled in her throat as she stared up at Harry's playful eyes. She laughed at his statement. She could see it in his eyes. He really had feelings for her. She couldn't believe it was really happening, as though if her life was a fairytale.

"Yes, you can." Hermione replied.

Before she could think about anything else, she felt Harry's lips upon hers. She felt his arms around her waist pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him.

After what seem like hours, they pulled apart. They both stared at each other.

"Wow! I just don't believe it." Hermione whispered hugging Harry tightly. Harry hugged her back.

All of a sudden, Harry remembered he hadn't told her everything yet.

He pulled back, but didn't let her go completely.

"Hermione there's something else you should know." Harry said looking tense.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked softly.

"Promise me you won't get angry with me." Harry said. Hermione looked into his eyes. She could see his eyes pleading her to understand.

"Ok I promise." She said.

Harry took a deep breath and spoke. "There's no bet anymore Hermione."

It took a moment for Hermione to register what he said.

"What?" She said looking shocked. She pulled back from Harry completely.

"What you mean there's no bet? You mean this entire pretend thing, it was all a lie." She said angrily.

"No!" Harry exclaimed loudly. "Actually I called off the betting at the beginning of this month." He said.

Hermione was stunned by his admission. "You called off the betting. Then why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"Remember that day in kitchen at your place. You said you didn't like lying to your parents." Harry said feeling encouraged. Hermione nodded remembering that day.

"So that just got me thinking and…" Harry was interrupted by Hermione.

"So you did it for me." Hermione asked softly.

"Yeah, that and because I had started to have real feelings for you. I wasn't pretending anymore, everything was real for me." Harry said intently.

Hermione wanted to be angry with him, but looking at his sincerity, she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. She was touched by his words. He might have hidden the truth at first, but he was telling her the truth now. And who was she kidding. She had no right to be angry with him; after all, she was also hiding things from him.

"Well, since this night is rapidly becoming the night of confessions, I want to tell you something as well." Hermione said. When Harry didn't say anything, she continued…

"I told my mum about bet." Hermione confessed.

"What?" Harry panicked, "What did she say? Was she mad at me? Did she tell your father or my parents?"

"Harry, just relax." Hermione said laughing.

Harry immediately went quiet, his face turning red due to embarrassment.

"My mum is not mad at you. She was a bit upset that I lied to her. But things are good between us now." Hermione said, "She even told me to tell you that you should also tell your parents about the bet. It's better that they hear from us rather than from someone else." Hermione finished.

Harry simply nodded, but he didn't want to think right now how his mum would react to that piece of news. He decided to think about that later.

"Are you mad at me?" Hermione asked apprehensively bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"No, I understand why you told your mum." Harry replied looking thoughtful.

"Are we still together?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Why, do you want to break up?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Definitely not. I was just confirming, you know. We both hide things from each other so that makes us even." Harry said with a shrug.

Hermione smiled at his explanation.

"So now that we have confirmed we are together, Can I kiss you again?" Harry asked innocently.

Hermione laughed openly at his question. Stepping forward she once again wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes, you can kiss me now Mr. Potter." She whispered against his lips.

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Author's Note: - So what do you think? Please tell me through reviews.

I need some help in finding a story. I don't remember much about it. In this I think Harry with someone's help fakes his own death and he comes back to Hogwarts as seventh year student pretending to be someone else using polyjuice potion. Dumbledore knows about his secret and asks him to keep it secret even from Hermione and Ron. Also, there's an attack on Hogwarts Express when they all goes back to Hogwarts for their seventh year.

So if anybody knows please tell me.

Thank you.

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