Harry and Hermione were making their way back towards their common room after a long day at Hogsmeade. Suddenly, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and stopped him. "Did you hear this?" she asked.

Harry looked at her questioningly, but then he noticed a muffled scream originating from one of the abandoned classrooms at the end of the corridor.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, and in silent agreement, they ran towards the room. They stopped at the door and readied their wands. Another scream sounded for a moment but then abruptly stopped.

With a short nod at each other, Hermione pulled the door open, and Harry jumped into the room, directly followed by Hermione.

What they saw made their blood boil. At the front of the classroom, Draco Malfoy was looming over the unconscious body of Luna Lovegood who lay on the teacher's desk. Her face was badly bruised, and her blouse was torn open. Next to Malfoy stood Gregory Goyle who was leering at the girl.

Both Slytherin boys spun around towards the entrance and raised their wands. With their advantage of surprise, Hermione aimed her wand at Malfoy and shouted "Petrificus Totalus", while Harry shot a stunning spell at Goyle. Malfoy fell over petrified, breaking his nose on the floor, and Goyle collapsed as he was hit by the stunning spell.

Harry and Hermione lowered their wands. As their attention was fixed on the front of the classroom and Luna, they didn't notice the movement in the far-side corner of the classroom, until they heard the shout of "Reducto!"

Harry reflexively pulled Hermione down and ducked under the incoming curse, which exploded at the wall a few feet behind him. Before the attacker, whom Harry immediately identified as Vincent Crabbe, could cast another spell, the Slytherin was hit by two stunners cast simultaneously by the Gryffindors.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked Hermione with a very loud voice as they stood back up.

"Yeah, and you?" Hermione answered with a worried look.

"I wasn't hit, but my ears are ringing very loudly from that explosion behind me. It should be all right in a few minutes," Harry replied. Hermione nodded with a relieved sigh.

"What to do with him?" Harry asked Hermione nodding towards the petrified Draco Malfoy who stared at them hatefully.

"Let's just leave him here incapacitated," Hermione answered.

Harry looked at her in surprise. "If you're okay with this, I sure am."

He aimed his wand at the Slytherin. "Diffindo!"

Draco's severed head rolled over the floor.

"What the fuck? You killed him!" Hermione screamed.

"Huh? You told me to decapitate him. Of course that would kill him."

"I said incapacitate, not decapitate."

"Oh, sorry," Harry said sheepishly. "I must have misheard. My ears are still ringing from that explosive hex Crabbe nearly got us with. Next time, try not to use big words in a situation like this."

"You killed him! Oh, gods, we will be in so much trouble!" Hermione started to fret.

Harry tried to calm her. "Well, I'm sorry. But don't worry, we'll just have to get rid of the body, and it will seem as if he had simply disappeared, maybe to join up with the Death Eaters."

"All right," Hermione conceded. "But what about Crabbe and Goyle?" She motioned towards the unconscious figures on the floor. "Apart from Luna, there mustn't be any witnesses of this encounter. Can you obliviate them?"

"Uhmm, sure, but why? Wouldn't that be a bit too messy?" Harry answered, still speaking very loudly.

"No, why, just do it, or do you want me to do it?" Hermione answered confused.

Harry grinned and aimed his wand at Crabbe at the far side of the classroom. "No, no, all right then. REDUCTO!" Hermione screamed as Vincent Crabbe was completely torn apart by the powerful blasting hex. The far-end wall of the classroom was covered with blood.

"Why? Why did you do this, Harry?" Hermione moaned weakly while fighting the urge to vomit.

"Huh? You told me to. You told me to obliterate them," Harry answered.

Hermione pinched her nose in exasperation. "No, I told you to obliviate them. OBLIVIATE! Not obliterate!"

"Ohh, obliviate! Yeah, that would have made more sense. Sorry, my hearing is not yet back to normal," Harry replied.

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, so please NO OBLITERATING of Goyle, all right? We'll OBLIVIATE and incarcerate him. You got that?"

"Yes, I did, don't worry." Harry aimed his wand at Goyle and incanted "Obliviate!". Hermione gave a relieved sigh. Then, after a pause, Harry spoke again. "Incendio!" A stream of flames engulfed the Slytherin boy and burnt him to ash.

Harry turned around towards Hermione who was gaping at him with a very pained expression on her face. "Though I don't know why you wanted me to obliviate him if I was to incinerate him afterwards," he said with a questioning look.

Hermione took a few calming breaths. "Because I wanted to INCARCERATE him, not incinerate him," Hermione answered. She was almost crying now.

"I have to admit I feel a bit silly now," Harry said with a contrite look. "Please forgive me?"

"Oh Harry, I couldn't stay mad at you if I tried. I know you were just doing what you thought I had told you," Hermione sighed. "You're my best friend, of course I forgive you."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise at her last words. "I'm your boyfriend? So our trip to Hogsmeade today was a date date? I didn't know, why didn't you..." Hermione sputtered, but Harry continued as he moved towards the girl. "But I really like the sound of that, Hermione! I'd love to have you as my girlfriend!"

With that, he brought his lips crashing down on hers. Hermione was completely shocked at this turn of events, but quickly closed her arms around him and kissed him back.