A/N: This is my round Seven submission for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition as Captain of the Bats. I had to write about the the ship: H. M. S. Book and Quills, aka Hermione and Percy.

Prompts:

Quidditch pitch: enchanting

Drabble club: bed

North American Song Competition: Colorado (only the word following needs to be included, not the state); Trust

Final word count: 973 (google docs)

Hermione lay in the bed next to Ginny, waiting for the chime of eleven to call out. Her heart raced as she waited, thinking about what tonight would hold. The letters were not enough to satisfy her anymore. She needed to see him, needed to feel his arms around her.

Then the chime sounded and it took all of her self control not to leap from the bed. Instead, she carefully shifted the comforter off of herself and slipped off the side of the bed. She grabbed her robe, red and flowing with a permanent warming charm to block out the cold outside, and made her way of of the room. Hermionee crept as quietly as she could down the stairs, cringing and stopping at every sound. At the bottom of the stairs, she stopped only to put her shoes on before opening the front door just enough to slip through and close it behind her. And then she ran.

She took off, speeding towards the tree at the top of the nearest hill. Her heart was racing with excitement. Her lungs burned from the cold and exertion, but still she sprinted full force, her eyes never leaving the tree. As she drew nearer, the figure she looked for slowly came into view. The silhouette showing only his form and the form of the curly locks on his head. She smiled widely as she let herself crash into him, embracing him.

"Oh Percy, I missed you so much," she exhaledbefore having to catch her breath. But she didn't care as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I missed you too, Mione," he murmured as he buried his face in her hair.

She nuzzled into his chest, holding him tighter. "I wish we didn't have to keep this a secret."

"Trust me," he responded as he pulled away enough to cup her cheek in his hand, "my family would give you hell. They all want you to be with Ron, whether or not they'll say it."

"So what? That's not what I want."

He kissed her forehead gently. "I know, but I don't want to risk you losing a friendship because my brother is stupid and petty."

"He's not stupid or petty," Hermione responded sternly as she thought back to the dangerous battle of wizard's chess. "He's jealous yes, but you would be too of you had 5 older brothers to be compared to and one little sister showing you up. He's doing his best. But let's not waste our time talking about him. I want it to just be us."

Percy smiled and took a step back, bending over. She heard a click followed by the enchanting, gentle tune of a piano.

"I didn't get to take you to the Yule ball, so would you dance with me?"

Hermione felt herself go crimson as a smile broke out across her face.

"Of course I will."

Percy took her in his arms and pulled her close, swaying gently to the music.

"How's school going?"

"It's fine. Umbridge is unbearable, and she's not teaching."

"Well you just have to be patient."

Hermione bit her tongue. She had wanted to tell him about Dumbledore's Army. She had wanted to tell him, but if this was his response to her comments on Umbridge… no, he couldn't be trusted with that.

"How's work been? You seem kind of stressed in your letters."

"It's fine. They keep me busy."

She knew that already, the way his letters had become so sporadic. So she stayed silent as they swayed to the music, dancing in utter silence.

"Percy, do you think we'll last? Or are we just a fleeting romance?"

He stopped and looked into her eyes, meeting her sad gaze. "Why do you ask that?"

"You're three years older than me. I'm still in school for most of the year and even on breaks we're sneaking out to see each other. Secrets have a tendency to get out and… and the stress of hiding a relationship-"

He cut her off with a gentle finger pressed against her lips. "Hermione, you know me. I'm one to plan everything. I've been planning my entire life since I was five. This is not something I want to plan. I saw you this summer in a new light. I couldn't plan that, I wouldn't have. But it happened. I think we're both fairly logical, and we both like to plan. If we wanted to, we could last a lifetime."

Her lip twitched in a half smile, only for a moment. "Am I no more to you than just a casual romance?"

"Hermione, it's been six months. We can't tell anything yet. Wait until summer to ask those questions."

"And until then? We continue to write letters and sneak around?"

He sighed. "If you want, you could tell my family in the morning. Or Harry. Tell anyone really., if that will make you feel better. I care about you Hermione, and I'drather have you happy than keep us a secret."

"Are you sure?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Of course I'm sure. You are very special to me. I'd do anything to see you smile."

And she did. She smiled a beatific smile that in turn brought a smile to his own mouth and she wrapped her arms around Percy as he leaned in for another kiss.

~o0o~

"Ginny, wake up." Hermione said as she nudged her friend in the bed.

The red headed girl groaned and burrowed further into her blankets.

"Ginny, please, please wake up."

"Whaddoya want?" the girl mumbled into half of her pillow.

"I have a boyfriend."

Hermione had never seen any of the Weasleys jolt out of bed so fast for anything other than food or quidditch, and even then there was a struggle.

"Tell me everything."