This fic was written as a way to mark my one year anniversary publishing in this fandom. In that time I've written 567'706 words spread over 11 stories, which is the boring stat. Much more interesting: 1089 of you have decided you want to be alerted when a new story of mine hits the site. Together you've left 3733 reviews. That kind of response deserves a 'thank you', but two words seem a bit paltry, so here you go: this one's for you. Thank you for your encouragement and advice.

Warning

This fic contains drinking and teenagers, but oddly no smut. It will end up with Harry and Hermione together. If this isn't your cup of tea, you shouldn't read this.

Disclaimer

Harry Potter and all associated characters, locations and what not belong to J.K. Rowling and whoever she sells the rights to. I have borrowed these characters, locations and what not in order to mess around with them. In some cases I may lift a piece of dialogue or scene directly from the books as a touchstone. I do not own anything except the plot and I am not making any money from this endeavor. This applies to the whole story.

I just don't understand it. Hermione Granger was sitting in the Great Hall pushing her breakfast around her plate. There has to be some kind of magic at work. For a little over five years now she had attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In that time she had learnt magics that her eleven-year-old self hadn't even been able to imagine, she had shattered several academic records and was widely acknowledged as one of the brightest students to attend the school in years. Even so there were still aspects of Hogwarts and magic that she just didn't understand. One such mystery was occupying her thoughts more than any other this morning. How on earth is the Hogwarts rumour mill so efficient?

Hermione liked to think that she was above such a low-brow pass-time as gossiping and that was causing her to feel slightly guilty as she eavesdropped on a conversation her roommates were having a little further down the table. Despite her best efforts to avoid getting dragged into the seedy world of Hogwarts gossip, Hermione couldn't help herself: she had been born curious. There were things being discussed that she didn't know about yet and it drew her attention like a moth to a flame. At least I don't go around repeating what I've heard she tried to console herself. Besides, if they didn't want to be overheard they wouldn't be talking in the middle of the Great Hall when every last student is here trying to get a bite in before the first Quidditch match of the season. Shoving her guilt down somewhere she couldn't look at it, Hermione refocused on the conversation.

"Well, of course I never told you, Lav. I mean we were only fourteen and there wasn't really much to tell. I think the both of us were in a little over our heads."

"Parv, if you and the Boy Who Lived had swapped spit it would have been newsworthy, never mind this!"

"It really wasn't something to talk about. We were both just experimenting, really. Looking back it was almost adorable how we fumbled about, but sweet Circe, if I ever meet another parselmouth I'm not hesitating." The conversation devolved into a lot of giggling and Hermione found herself holding her fork in a white-knuckled grip. She exhaled slowly and deliberately placed her fork on the table. Calm down, Hermione. This isn't the first rumour like this you've heard… no point in getting upset about it.

Ever since the beginning of their sixth year every rumour going around Hogwarts seemed to be about her best friend. To be fair, that's not as new as I wish it was. These rumours were different though. Ever since they had gotten back from their summer holidays everyone in Hogwarts, or at least every girl, had noticed the differences in Harry Potter. He had shot up like a weed and Hermione had barely contained her surprise when she had realised that for the first time in their friendship Harry was a good bit taller than she was. He didn't smile as often as he used to, but when he did that lopsided grin was even more charming than usual for its rarity. On top of that Harry was the undisputed star and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, a hero who had been unjustly persecuted for a year and charmingly polite and caring despite it all. I really shouldn't be surprised that he's attracting this much attention.

This rumour was only the latest in a whole slew of conquests that Harry had supposedly made. Hermione had heard that the Head Girl, Cho Chang, had claimed to have been intimate with Harry last year after several DA meetings. Just how bad would her personality have to be for Harry to only take her out on one date if they had already shagged a few times? Harry did call her a human hosepipe and their first encounter 'wet'... did she cry during sex? Susan Bones apparently had quite a story to tell about Harry and an evening they spent in Greenhouse Four. I wonder how they'd keep the more dangerous plants at bay while they were distracted, though apparently a sliver of Devil's Snare was part of the fun. Ginny had even confessed to Hermione that she and Harry had snuck out of the Burrow over the summer and lost their virginities in the Weasley family orchard. Ginny had been incredibly upset when that rumour had somehow leaked into circulation, but had thankfully believed Hermione's assurances that she'd kept the secret. It seems so unlike Harry to do that, but Ginny had more to lose and almost nothing to gain by telling me that. If it's not true and Harry hears about the tale that would pretty much scupper any hope she has of a relationship with him. All in all Hermione had counted five different girls who claimed that they and Harry had lost their virginities together and at least a dozen more who claimed to have done everything short of actual intercourse with her best friend.

Hermione heaved a sigh as she tried to centre herself. Clearly they can't all be telling the truth or Harry would have lost his virginity several times over somehow. As it stands I can see two possibilities: either the girls are lying or they are telling the truth as they know it and Harry has been lying to them. Normally she would just ask Harry about the rumours and if he had any idea how they'd gotten started, but she just couldn't bring herself to start that conversation. What if he tells me the rumours are true? How am I supposed to react to that? Hermione's first instinct was still to trust her best friend but there was a little voice in the back of her mind that insisted on whispering doubts. Harry may despise the rumours about him, but that doesn't mean that they were always wrong.

In the trio's first year the rumour mill had correctly spread the story of the troll attack. It had correctly predicted that Harry was the Gryffindor Seeker despite Oliver Wood's most fanatical efforts to keep that a secret. It had gotten the reason for their midnight trip to the tower wrong, but since we didn't correct Professor McGonagall's assumptions the blame for that misconception falls squarely onto our own shoulders. Even Harry's confrontation with Professor Quirrell had been spread all over the school less than a day after it happened.

In their second year Harry had been ostracised due to the suspicions that he was the Heir of Slytherin and the one behind the attacks. If we're being objective that wasn't an unreasonable assumption on the students' part. The available evidence pointed to Harry and he really was the only one who could have opened the Chamber without a Dark Lord possessing them. The most we can say is that they should have realised that Harry wouldn't do that and at least 90% of the student body didn't know him well enough to know that; they probably still don't.

In their third year the rumours had thankfully quieted down a little. There had been a short-lived one that she and Ron were dating before the student body corrected that to account for the fact that Harry quite simply couldn't join them. That shows that, as a collective, the student body doesn't blindly keep rumours going if there is evidence to the contrary. The rumour mill had thankfully not picked up on the fact that she and Harry had been the ones to free Sirius Black from captivity. We did have the watertight alibi of being in two places at the same time, but it's still a good thing. On the other hand Professor Lupin's status as a werewolf had been all over the school within an hour of Professor Snape's 'slip of the tongue' and, while it was a puerile act of revenge by the Potions Master, the rumours hadn't been inaccurate.

In their fourth year rumours had come back with a vengeance to play a part in their lives. Even then they were fuelled by speculation and suggestion in the media. Fourth year was harder to consider objectively since she had been dragged into some of the nastier tales being told, but, as any good student of logic and reason would, Hermione did her best. The only facts were that Harry was somehow entered into the tournament in a clearly illegal way given that he was the fourth Champion. That everyone felt he had cheated was probably more down to assumptions based on what they would have done themselves. Like I told Harry about Ron: it's hard to always be in his shadow sometimes. Skeeter was a foul bint, but she's not technically a part of the Hogwarts rumour mill. Anyone might lend credence to what they read in the news; you wouldn't read it if you didn't.

Fifth year had also been hard, but in all honesty the rumours had been more of an ongoing discussion than malicious whispers. Of course students had had their views influenced by their family and the media. Harry might have been the lone voice of reason, but like so many times before could offer no proof to convince others. I know it was hard for Harry to put up with their whispers and looks, but we can't control what people think and we shouldn't want to… 'thoughtcrime' is truly one of the most horrific things Orwell ever came up with. Even aside from that Umbridge had known about the existence of the DA almost before it was formed. Though perhaps that should be attributed to the 'Graduates' Rumour Mill'.

Unfortunately Hermione's review of the accuracy of the rumour mill over the past five years made her feel even more uneasy about the stories that were spreading about Harry. The worst we can really say is that the gossips didn't always have all the information, but they didn't make things up out of the blue. Imperfect data is a fact of life after all. They might have found better ways to occupy their time, but they weren't inaccurate. It was that inescapable conclusion that affected Hermione more deeply than she ever wanted to let on. She had been aware for a long time now that her two best friends were members of the opposite sex. It might have taken the two boys a little longer, but Hermione was sure that this year they were all on the same page. She could tell that they were both finally starting to at least consider dating and romance in a more serious light and she had hopes that one of them might even be considering her in that same train of thought.

Hermione herself had spent some time this summer drawing up her own analysis of whom she might enjoy a relationship with. Everyone bar Harry, Ron and Neville had been quickly discarded as a potential boyfriend given that she simply didn't feel close to anyone else. It hadn't taken Hermione much longer to decide on the clear front-runner. Neville was bit to tame for her tastes. She wanted a partner, someone she could depend on and who could stand up for their own opinions when it mattered. Of her two best friends Hermione felt that one was clearly ahead in most of the attributes she had compared them on. As harsh as it might be to say, Harry is simply kinder, calmer, more intelligent and more handsome than Ron; not to mention that innate bravery, how much we have in common and his willingness to try and understand me. Coming to Hogwarts this year Hermione had been very willing to see where a potential relationship with Harry might go and that had been before she had seen his growth spurt. Her choice had even been validated in their first Potions class with Professor Slughorn. Hearing that Harry had been bragging about her to their newest professor had filled Hermione with a warmth she had seldom felt. It was even better than winning points from Professor McGonagall. Hermione also remembered Ron's response. "Well, what's so impressive about that? You are the best in the year... I'd've told him so if he'd asked me!" And the point is that Harry wasn't asked; from what Professor Slughorn's said Harry told him off because he felt I was being insulted. That warm glow was back again.

At the beginning of the year she had begun hinting at Harry that she was ready for them to be more than best friends. In the process it had become obvious that Ron was interested in her, but Hermione had not been ready to abandon her first choice so easily. I think that I might have been too clever for my own good in the end.

When Harry had mentioned the level of interest in the Quidditch team this year with his usual disregard for the idea that he was someone others might look favourably on Hermione had thought that she was being gift wrapped a chance to get Harry thinking in the right direction. "It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable." What was I thinking? I told him he was fanciable, explained why and I never stopped to consider the most important part: a relationship needs two interested people. The only way that wouldn't have backfired would have been if I was his only option. In the weeks since she had said those words Hermione had noticed an uptick in the… carnal rumours about Harry, proving that her friend had no shortage of options. I should have known that pinning my hopes on every girl's dream would be too much of a reach. With all the girls he has available to him of course a boring, bookish best friend is going to be low on the list. Right now I'm not even sure that I would want to go out with him anymore. I refuse to be just another conquest.

As the rumours had become more persistent Hermione had done her best to forget about her interest in Harry Potter and shift it to Ron Weasley instead. At least Ron's interested in me. Harry might seem like a better match on paper, but that's what dating is for, right? So you can find out how compatible you actually are? Besides, Harry's been a bit… distant recently. Harry's distance had proven helpful at first. Hermione had even managed to invite Ron to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party without things turning awkward… well, not unmanageably awkward… well, they hadn't been. Over the past few days however Ron had been glaring and snarling at her like she had turned his silly Quidditch posters pink and she had no idea what had set him off this time. It was one of the reasons she had come down to breakfast with her roommates rather than her friends. The other reason was walking into the Great Hall just in time to pull Hermione from her musings before she could spend too much time on the vagaries of Ronald Weasley.

Harry had insisted that he would continue a tradition that he had learnt from Wood and Angelina: on match days the team went down to breakfast together. Watching him stride into the hall in his scarlet robes at the head of his team Hermione couldn't help the comparison that popped into her head of a champion or a king at the head of his army. She fought with herself to quash that particular line of thought before it could lead to the inevitable disappointment of knowing that it wasn't her champion looking like something straight out of the Illiad coming into the Hall. Harry apparently wasn't too interested in helping her out with her secret problem as his eyes lit up when he spotted her and he made a beeline straight for where she was sitting. Hermione took the few seconds she had before Harry plopped down on the bench next to her to give her unwelcome feelings a final shove down into her subconscious.

"Good morning, Hermione." he greeted her cheerfully, that damnable grin looking extra rakish this morning.

"Good morning, Harry." Around her the other Gryffindors made room for their team with a couple of calls of good luck. Looking around at the team Hermione couldn't fail to notice that Harry was the only one who didn't look at all affected by nerves. I wonder if that's due to his experience or if he's simply putting on a front for the rest of the team to draw confidence from? Giving herself a mental shake Hermione decided that it wouldn't help to ask that now. Instead she turned to the third member of their trio who was looking particularly green under his ginger mop. "How are you feeling, Ron?" Ron just gave her a little shake of his head. Okay, now I'm worried. He didn't even jump down my throat and given his recent behaviour… this could be bad for the team's chances today.

"Really, Hermione? Trying to talk to Ron before he's had his first breakfast?" Harry grinned at her. That drew a few weak chuckles from the rest of the team as they started loading up their plates. "As for you, Ron, I never thought I'd say this, but: eat something already, would you?" A few more snickers from the rest of the team. "I'll get you started. What would you like to drink?"

"Anything." Ron croaked miserably.

"Pumpkin juice it is!" Hermione watched as Harry poured a goblet of juice for Ron with a small frown. I'm not sure that this is the best way to get him past his nerves, Harry. A strange movement of Harry's hand as he went to give Ron his juice caught her attention. What was that? Harry just did something strange… Hermione felt shock take over her face as she saw the little vial of golden liquid in Harry's hand as he pulled it back. Her eyes shot over to Ron who was just lifting the tainted goblet to his lips.

"Don't drink that, Ron!" Both boys gave her odd looks at her outburst. Hermione turned a furious glare on Harry. "You just put something in his drink." she hissed at him.

"No, I didn't." Harry answered. His calm tone and the smirk pulling at the corners of his lips infuriated Hermione.

"I saw you. You tipped something into that drink. It's still in your hand." Even Ron couldn't miss Harry's hand darting into his pocket before he showed them his empty palm.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry said blithely. Ron was looking back and forth between the two of them and Hermione could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Let him realise what's going on; let him do the right the thing. With an abrupt movement Ron brought the goblet up to his lips and slugged the pumpkin juice back in one gulp. Hermione felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. She could feel tears burning at the back of her eyes.

"I can't believe you would do that, Harry!" she hissed out venomously. "You should be expelled for that."

"Look who's talking. Confunded anyone lately?" Harry murmured in response. The comment was like a slap in the face. Before her self-control could shatter Hermione stood up and rushed out of the Hall. I can't believe they would do that! I thought Harry would be too honourable to blatantly cheat with Felix Felicis. Finding an empty classroom Hermione darted inside so she could try and reestablish her composure. It's like I don't even know them anymore. Last year they would have at least listened to me if they'd have even come up with something like this in the first place. After a few minutes of sniffling and stubbornly fighting to keep her tears from falling Hermione managed to admit the real reason she was so hurt by the boys' actions to herself. If they've changed this much then… The implications for her hopes of finding someone to share a relationship with were catastrophic.

Hermione was still trying to regain control of herself when she heard the sounds of hundreds of feet marching down to the Quidditch pitch. She found herself hesitating to join them. No, I'll go and after the match I'll try to talk to Harry and Ron one more time. After all we've been through we owe each other at least that much. If they won't see that what they did was wrong… Hermione's mind shied away from that thought without finishing it. Wiping her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Hermione squared her shoulders and marched out of the room hoping desperately that today didn't mark the end of the only two real friendships she'd ever had.

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione was standing in the hallway outside of the Gryffindor boys' locker room wringing her Gryffindor scarf nervously in her hands and waiting for Harry and Ron to come out or for the rest of the team to leave them alone so she could go in. Gryffindor had won the match, but it had taken an incredible amount of luck from what Hermione had seen. Slytherin lost two of their starting seven and I know that Gryffindor wasn't doing that well in the few practices I saw. It unfortunately confirmed what she had seen this morning.

The door to the locker room swung open and Hermione saw the two beaters come out. They greeted her with giddy smiles and waves, clearly still euphoric from the win. Dean came out a moment later, hurrying off to find Ginny after a quick greeting. Hermione hoped that her congratulations didn't sound too forced; after all, these boys had done nothing wrong. Once she was sure that the only ones left were Harry and Ron, Hermione stepped into the locker room and carefully closed the door behind her. Harry was sitting on a bench in front of his locker, already changed and clearly waiting for Ron who was struggling to pull his robes over his head. Hermione took a deep breath to prepare herself before speaking.

"I want a word with you, Harry." He looked up at her with a look in his eyes that she couldn't immediately identify. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal." Ron finally managed to get his robes on fully and his glare was far easier to read.

"You gonna turn us in?" he snarled at her. Hermione recoiled slightly from the venom in his voice.

"I should." she said with less force than she would have liked.

"Why?" Harry broke in before the argument could truly get under way. "We didn't actually do anything wrong, you know."

"You know perfectly well that you did!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No, I didn't." Harry told her holding her eyes with his. Damn you, Harry. How can you lie so coldly? Was a Quidditch match really that important to you?

"Yes you did, Harry! That's why everything went right; why there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!" The emotions Hermione had been suppressing since breakfast were threatening to break loose once more. Harry's eyes were still locked on hers as he reached a hand into his robes and pulled out a small vial; the vial of Felix Felicis that he had won unfairly with that damn book. Without a word he held it out to her. Hermione reached for it with a trembling hand, but stopped just short of actually taking it. What on earth?! The vial looked like it was still full and Hermione could even see that the wax seal was still intact. "But-... what?" she asked in a lost voice. Harry gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." he explained in a soft voice before his green eyes finally left her to focus on Ron. "I told you it was mental issue. You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself." Hermione and Ron were staring at Harry with near identical expressions of disbelief. He didn't cheat… he's still the Harry I thought he was! Relief flowed through Hermione forcing her to sit down as her limbs felt like rubber. She felt a smile spreading over her face and turned to Ron to congratulate him on the outstanding game he had played. The words froze in her throat as she was met with a disgusted glare from her red-headed friend.

"You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything!" The mocking mimicry actually caused her to flinch back but Ron wasn't done yet. "See?! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"

"Ron, I never thought that you couldn't! I just-"

"Save it. I'm going to spend some time with the people who actually believed in me." Hermione couldn't do anything but watch Ron storm out of the locker room, slamming the door behind him. I guess he's not forgiven me for whatever I did wrong.

"I'm sorry." she heard Harry's resigned voice. He sounded a lot closer than she would have expected. Looking up she saw that he had moved to sit next to her.

"You're sorry?" What on earth is he sorry for? Ron's the one with the rotten attitude right now.

"Yeah. I used you to pull this trick on Ron and I shouldn't have so… I'm sorry."

"If you knew what you were doing what made you go ahead with it anyway?" Hermione asked trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice; the pain of having Ron act so hatefully had to go somewhere. Harry sighed and stared ahead at something only he could see.

"Because I could count on you to be observant enough to catch a surreptitious movement and honest enough to chew me out for it." Hermione was still trying to process the compliment implicit in that reasoning while maintaining her temper when Harry shook his head and his eyes looked back at her again. "To be honest the plan went off without a hitch right up until the last part. Ron was supposed to be so happy with his performance that he'd stop treating you like dirt." Oh, Harry.

"Thanks for trying, I suppose. I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that it would work but it's the thought that counts." Hermione felt one of Harry's arms come around her shoulders.

"He'll get over it eventually. He always does."

"I-... I just don't understand what I'm supposed to have done."

"You haven't done anything wrong, Hermione. Ron's just feeling insecure because of a fight he had with Ginny." Hermione shot Harry an incredulous look which he returned with a tired one.

"Is that all you're going to tell me?" She could see Harry debating the matter with himself before his shoulders slumped.

"Honestly, I think that telling you more would just make it worse."

"Why?"

"Because the problem is entirely in his head and you going off on him about it will just make him dig his heels in and prolong the fight."

"What makes you think that I would go off on him about it?" Hermione flushed when Harry just gave her a disbelieving look for her question. "Fine." she muttered in defeat feeling Harry's arm giving her a comforting squeeze.

"How about we go up to the common room? There's probably a party and we can have a few Butterbeers." The idea of a common room full of rowdy, celebrating Gryffindors was about as unappealing a prospect as she could think of right now.

"No thanks, Harry. You go ahead, I'll just… well, I'll come by later."

"Would you like some company?" Harry asked looking her over in concern.

"I'll be fine. You need to put in an appearance anyway; part of your official duties as captain, isn't it?" Hermione tried to reassure Harry by injecting some humour into her statement, but could see that she was only having limited success at best. "Really, Harry. I promise I'll be up in a little while. I just want to spend some time alone." Harry nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, but if you're not up in two hours I'm going to come looking for you."

"I'll make sure you don't have to." Hermione felt the strain of keeping a false smile up beginning to wear at her. Finally Harry gave another nod and left. A sigh gusted out of Hermione as she relaxed. It wouldn't do to have Harry worrying about me right now. The rest of the House would lynch us if I'd kept him from the party any longer.

Once she was sure that Harry would be out of sight, Hermione wandered out of the locker room. With no clear destination in mind she simply followed her feet wherever they wanted to go. She turned her problem over in her mind as she walked. Should I give up on Ron like I did on Harry? Should I turn my attention to Neville instead? He's certainly grown more confident this year… A part of her shuddered at this clinical approach she seemed to be developing to her love life. It's not supposed to be this way. In all honesty Hermione had no idea of what the correct way to approach romance might be. I certainly don't want this to be the way. Maybe that's the more important consideration. Looking up from her ruminations Hermione discovered that she had walked down to the lake and was now standing in the same spot where she had frequently found Harry when he wanted to get away from whatever madness was dogging his life this time. Maybe I've come to associate this place with the same feelings Harry has. I've certainly watched him settle himself often enough on that rock over there.

Hermione walked over to Harry's usual seat and, feeling inexplicably nervous, sat down as well. She looked out over the lake and smiled as she took in the view that she usually ignored in favour of talking to Harry about whatever was bothering him. I never realised how calming this place is. I'll have to tell Harry when I go back up. Briefly she allowed herself to imagine what this would have been like if she had let Harry come with her like he had wanted to. The thought of talking to Harry about her love life while he tried to reassure her that everything would be alright both made her smile and cringe. It was a strange reaction that fluctuated depending on which piece of evidence she was considering for any possible truth to the rumours about him.

If Harry wasn't sleeping his way through Hogwarts and was still the boy she remembered then she was sure that his nervous efforts to make her feel better would make her smile simply because of their sincerity.

On the other hand, if Harry really was doing at least some of the things she was hearing about then she wasn't sure what his advice would be. I wonder if he'd try to take advantage of the situation to add another notch to his bedpost? The unexpected thought put a blush on her cheeks and caused her breathing to speed up a bit as she imagined hands on her body out here in the open where anyone might see. Embarrassed, she shook herself. Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. If Harry was interested in me that way he would have reacted to the house-sized hints I was dropping at the beginning of the term.

Forcing her thoughts away from one best friend she let them turn to the other as she cast her gaze back out over the lake. I really don't know what to do about Ron's tantrum this time. I wish Harry would have at least told me where it's coming from. Hermione frowned as she went through the conversation in the locker room again. 'Ron's just feeling insecure because of a fight he had with Ginny.' That's what Harry said! I can just ask Ginny! Grinning to herself, Hermione hopped off of the rock she was sitting on and brushed the back of her jeans off to remove any possible dirt. I definitely have to tell Harry that his thinking spot is absolutely fantastic.

Feeling better for having a plan of action Hermione made her way back through the castle. She didn't rush, sure that Ginny wouldn't be available to talk to for a while yet as everyone in Gryffindor would feel the need to tell her all about the match she had just played. I really don't understand their need to rehash everything ad nauseum any more than their need to tell everyone every little bit of gossip. Getting to the portrait of the Fat Lady she smiled and gave the password.

"Dilligrout." As soon as the portrait swung open Hermione was hit with a blast of noise from her partying housemates. She stepped into the common room and looked around for her friends. Harry's new height made him easy to find, standing in the middle of a hedge of girls looking up at him adoringly and giggling loudly at anything and everything he said. Harry was standing casually with a charming smile on his face and somehow carrying on a conversation with all of them at the same time. More and more I get the feeling that there is some truth to the rumours after all. Not seeing any distinctive heads of red hair Hermione started pushing her way through the crowd looking for her best female friend. Pushing through one particularly rowdy group Hermione almost stumbled as she unexpectedly stepped into an open space. Looking up she saw a sight that turned her innards to ice.

Sitting on a couch in front of her Ronald Weasley seemed to be doing his level best to spread saliva over Lavender Brown's entire face. For an instant Hermione couldn't move while her brain kept going, storing these images without her consent. A squeak from Lavender as one of Ron's flailing limbs attached itself to one of her breasts quickly turned into a moan. The sound broke Hermione from her stupor and, ruthlessly smothering the small voice that demanded she do her duty as a prefect, she ran. She wasn't sure how she made it to the portrait hole and barely registered the Fat Lady calling after her as she ran away from what she'd seen, ran away from the evidence that neither of her friends would ever look at her as she had once hoped. Not really looking where she was going Hermione threw open the first door she came to; in the weekends any classroom was 'unused' anyway.

She settled herself on the teacher's desk and fought the sobs rising in her chest. I should have known. I should have known that if Harry could succumb to temptation that it wouldn't take half as much for Ron to do the same. It just hurts. Why couldn't he at least wait until after Professor Slughorn's Christmas party? I'm sure he could have disappointed me enough that I wouldn't have minded him running off with Lavender Brown of all people. In an attempt to distract herself from her misery Hermione fell back on what she knew best: academics. Drawing her wand, she practiced the bird conjuring they had been taught in Professor McGonagall's last class. She conjured one bird at a time to work on her consistency with the spell. Soon she had five Yellow Warblers flitting around her head. She was debating moving on to Charms when the door to her sanctuary opened unexpectedly to reveal Harry Potter standing there. Even from the other side of the room Hermione could see the concern radiating from his eyes. She watched his gaze flick up to the birds before returning to her face.

"Impressive." he said quietly as he walked over and sat down next to her on the desk. He simply slipped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him. Hermione tried to resist for all of three seconds before it became too much to bear and she buried her face in Harry's shoulder as sobs wracked her body. Hermione didn't know how long it took her to cry herself out, but when she did regain a semblance of control she discovered that Harry had shifted himself so that he was holding her with both arms. She could feel a warm hand rubbing comforting circles on her back and hear a reassuring voice whispering in her ear that everything would be alright. She was hiccuping from her sobs and the force of her diaphragm's movements shook the rest of her body letting her know that she had two fistfuls of Harry's robes firmly in her grasp. She let go with one hand to wipe at her eyes but kept the other where it was as an anchor in the storm of emotions she was feeling. She could feel Harry's arms loosening to give her some room but they never completely let her go.

"Thank you, Harry." she managed, her voice rough from the crying she had done. Harry's response was a soft squeeze and Hermione allowed herself to be drawn back into his warm body. They stayed like that for a while longer as Hermione's breathing slowly calmed down to a more normal rate. Even once she felt in control of herself again Hermione made no move to pull away from Harry. The feeling of being cared for was like a warm blanket on a winter morning and she didn't want to leave its comfort and face the cold world without it. Hermione wasn't sure that anything was going to convince her to give up her position until the door to the classroom opened yet again.

Seeing red hair and hearing a vapid giggle coming from somewhere behind it was enough to make Hermione shoot up into a rigidly straight posture. As Ron's head turned to face them, Hermione could see his eyes widening in surprise at finding the room already occupied.

"What's wrong, Won-won? Why did you- oh!" Hermione was glad that Lavender had chosen to stay behind Ron as it gave her an excuse to glare at both of them without having to explain herself. "Come on, Ron. This room's clearly occupied." Lavender said while pulling on his arm. Ron though didn't move and Hermione could see the way his eyes were flicking back and forth between Harry and herself. She could read the assumptions, suspicions and jealousies he was putting together like he had written them in a book for her. Seeing Ron open his mouth and not wanting to deal with whatever was about to come out Hermione leveled her wand at him.

"Oppugno." she incanted in a cold voice. The five Yellow Warblers didn't hesitate but shot straight at Ron's face. Hermione barely had time to see his eyes widen before he ducked out into the hallway and felt a flash of satisfaction. The emotion was soon washed away by a wave of surprise when the birds disappeared halfway across the room. Glancing to the side she saw Harry lowering his wand which earnt him a heartfelt glower.

"You don't need to be getting in trouble for attacking another student." was all he said in response to her unspoken accusation. Hermione looked away rather than let him see the impact that comment had. He's right. I'm a prefect and considering the trouble I got into last year it's a miracle that Professor McGonagall hasn't demanded my badge back already. I don't think she would be best pleased if I had actually managed to hit the bastard. Maybe I should just report Ron for his wanderings with his little slut?

No, that wouldn't work, not tonight at least. He can easily point out that Harry and I were in this room as well. I'll just have to figure out another way to get back at him. She snuck a look at Harry who was watching her with concern, but seemed to have decided to let her fume for a moment. Hmph. Of course Harry would be utterly blasé about this. Heaven only knows how many abandoned classrooms he's visited with some floozy or other. A small voice in the back of her head told Hermione that her accusation might not be strictly fair, but at that moment she just didn't care. She didn't have any tears left to cry, but she certainly had anger to burn. If Harry has been as active as the rumours suggest I might be able to use that to get back at Ron. He always gets frightfully jealous whenever he thinks that he's being overshadowed. Hermione's vicious glee froze as a rather startling plan made itself known. Her anger bled out of her as she looked over an idea she would have never thought she could come up with. All the same she could not deny that if her logic was right, this would be a real blow to Ron tomorrow.

"Come on, Harry. I need your help with something." Hermione said, grabbing her best friend's hand as she marched out of the room, filled with purpose. She dragged Harry down the corridor and past the portrait of the Fat Lady who gave them a suspicious look and a warning that they should get back inside before they broke curfew. Hermione ignored her and just kept walking and pulling on Harry's hand.

"Hermione? Where are we-" Hermione looked back and saw a look of realisation on Harry's face. He lengthened his stride so he was walking next to her rather than being dragged along. When they made the next turn together Hermione knew that Harry must have correctly guessed where she was going. They reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to dance and Harry dropped Hermione's hand making her realise that she had held onto it the entire way there. She noticed that he took a step back, clearly giving her control of the room she wanted to summon.

The familiar ritual was quickly completed and Hermione opened the door that had appeared to reveal the room she had created. The first thing that caught her attention was the roaring fire in one of the largest fireplaces she had ever seen. Facing the fire was a comfortable looking couch and a coffee table on a throw rug. On the other side of the room stood a large bed that was currently slightly hidden in the shadows. Hermione gave a satisfied nod and walked over to the couch while doing her best to project an air of confidence.

As she sat down a bottle of Firewhisky appeared on the table in front of her. From what she could see it was about three-quarters full. Probably left here by someone who was interrupted in their illicit drinking. Grabbing the bottle Hermione pulled the top off and set it to her lips. She gulped down several mouthfuls before a burning in her throat made itself known. Her body reacted on reflex and tried to take a breath to cool the feeling without accounting for the liquor she hadn't been able to swallow yet.

"Hermione!" She tried to wave a hand at Harry to indicate that she was alright while hacking up a lung. It didn't help that with every cough a gout of flame lanced from her mouth. Damn magicals enchanting their liquor with useless special effects. It took her a few minutes to completely recover from her coughing attack. The moment she felt that she could she lifted the bottle back to her lips only to have it ripped out of her hand before she could swallow her second mouthful. "Hermione, what the hell?!" Harry looked absolutely flabbergasted and Hermione couldn't contain a giggle at the sight.

"It's all part of the plan." she assured him.

"What plan? And how do you think you're going to remember it when you're six sheets to the wind?"

"Don't worry about it, Harry. Now gimme!" Hermione tried to grab the bottle of whisky from Harry's hand but he deftly moved it out of her reach. She felt a rather childish desire to play 'keep away' with Harry well up inside of her and for the next several minutes she tried to grab the bottle back from him. It was a lot of fun for her, though Harry seemed to be worried about what was going on. Tough. We're doing this on my terms, not yours. When she got tired of the game, Hermione simply requested another bottle from the room and managed to slug back a few gulps before Harry once again took the bottle from her. "Hey!" she whined. "Give-... give me that."

"Not until you tell me what's going on. Why on earth do you need to get drunk?"

"'Cause I don' wanna stop myself." Hermione was ineffectually trying to reach past Harry to get at the bottle only to see him vanish it with a spell. When the third bottle she got from the room was vanished before she could even touch it she settled for pouting at Harry. All well and good that you're used to this, some of us need a little help.

"What am I used to that you need help with?"

"I shaid dat out loud?" Hermione marveled before frowning. Something was wrong with her tongue and the words weren't coming out right.

"Yes, you did. Now what's going on?" Harry's concern had definitely turned to annoyance now. That's not good. I don't want him to be annoyed I want him to be- wait! Harry? Can you hear me?... Good, I'm talking inside of me right now… what was I thinking about? "Hermione!" Harry's shout brought Hermione's attention out of her thoughts and back to the world around her. As she tried to get her eyes to focus on Harry she saw him shake his head in disappointment and start to get up.

"No!" In a desperate attempt to keep him on the couch, Hermione flung herself over Harry's lap. She could feel him starting to lift her up and scrambled to get herself into a position that would keep him where he was supposed to be. Once she had settled into a position that she thought was going to work she looked up and gasped.

"Wow! Your eyes are really pretty." In the process of rearranging herself so she was straddling Harry's lap Hermione had accidentally knocked Harry's glasses off of his face and across the room. I like no-glasses-Harry. Harry's pretty eyes looked resigned at this point.

"Thanks, Hermione. Why don't we get you to bed so you can sleep off this bender, hm?"

"No. Don' wanna. Why should-... why should I go shleep?"

"Because you're drunk."

"I'm drunk? Yaaayyyy!" From this close up it was clear to see that Harry hadn't been expecting this response as his eyes widened. Hermione only took one more moment to admire how green they were before she remembered what she was supposed to do once she got drunk. She brought her fumbling fingers up to the buttons of her blouse but for some reason they weren't doing what she wanted them to. "Shtupid shirt." she muttered to herself before simply gripping either side of her blouse and tearing it open. She looked up with a proud grin on her face and found Harry's eyes almost popping out of their sockets while his mouth moved soundlessly. "They'sh better 'n d' odder onesh you sheen?" Hermione's proud smile grew a bit. She took Harry's stunned silence as agreement. "Good, den lesh have interamacour-... inter-... lesh shag!" Hermione ground her hips into Harry's as she spoke and finally got a reaction.

Harry's eyes snapped up to hers and she could see something burning in them. Ooooh, that's a good look. I like that look. Harry's eyes darted to the side and all of a sudden Hermione felt herself being lifted into the air. She would have asked Harry what he was doing but all her attention was on keeping her head from spinning as they moved. After what felt like ages Hermione was lowered onto a soft, comfy surface covered with sheets. A bed! Bring on the sexy-times! Ron's going to be sooooo jealous. She looked around for Harry and found him standing over her. For some reason his eyes were hidden behind his glasses again. Maybe that's the reason he looks so upset?

"'M'ere, Harry." Hermione held out her arms in invitation but Harry didn't move muscle.

"Go to sleep, Hermione. We'll talk in the morning."

"Wha'?" Why aren't we having sexy-times? Did I do something wrong? Am I too ugly? Are my boobies bad? Why? Hermione noticed that her cheeks were growing wet and a quick pass with one of her hands told her that her vision had blurred because she was once again crying. "Harry, pleashe… wha' I gotta do to get shexy wish you?" A weight settled on the bed next to her and Harry's face was suddenly close enough that she could clearly see the angry look in his eyes.

"If we ever do this it will be because we want to do it, not because you are angry with Ron and you will damn well be sober enough to know the difference." Harry's voice was so cold. He's angry at me… what if he hates me? Hermione managed to force the question out between sobs and sniffs. She heard Harry sigh before he answered. "I don't hate you, Hermione. I don't know that I ever could. Go to sleep." Hermione flung a desperate arm out and managed to grab a hold of something she identified as one of Harry's arms. She could feel him prying her hand loose.

"Don't go! Pleashe don't go. I-... I don't-... pleashe?" She heard another sigh above her and Harry's hand stopped trying to remove her own from his arm.

"Alright, Hermione. I won't go anywhere."

"Shank you." she whispered, adjusting her grip on his arm so that she could cuddle with it while she slept. "Shank you."

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione awoke to a pounding headache. The experience was made even worse by her eyelids feeling like they had been coated in sandpaper, her stomach roiling and twisting and her mouth tasting like she had licked residue from one of Neville's cauldrons. She tried to open her eyes but quickly shut them again with a whimper as the early morning light seemed to scorch her retinas. She felt something shift on her mattress and froze when she realised that it was far too significant a shift to be Crookshanks coming to wake her. A moment later she felt her shoulders being lifted off the bed and a potion vial being pressed to her lips.

"Drink this. It's supposed to cure a hangover in minutes." Desperate to be rid of the sensations assaulting her senses Hermione opened her mouth and gulped the foul concoction down. She felt herself being lowered back down and the mattress shifted again as whoever it was stood up. Within seconds Hermione was sweating like she was in a sauna. The headache slowly receded and her stomach settled. A quick rub of her eyes cleared away the gritty feeling but the foul taste in her mouth remained. Not like I should expect anything else after having just taken a potion. Hermione found herself able to move without wanting to throw up everything she'd eaten over the last week and manoeuvred herself into a sitting position. She gripped her head as she was flooded with memories of the night before. By the time the storm of images settled Hermione felt thoroughly embarrassed and fairly sure that she knew who was in the room with her. Opening her eyes again and gratefully noticing the absence of pain she looked around the room. The room looked nothing like what she had summoned last night aside from the bed. Instead, sitting at a table laden with breakfast foods was Harry Potter.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" he asked. Hermione couldn't hide a wince.

"I-... I'm feeling a lot better. Thank you for the potion, Harry." Her friend just nodded as he studied her and Hermione felt her cheeks flame under the scrutiny.

"Hungry?" he finally asked. Hermione nodded and quickly got up to join him. As she stood she noticed that she was wearing a pair of pajamas.

"Um, Harry? Did you-... did you change me?"

"I transfigured your clothes into that. I didn't think that your shirt would keep you warm in the state it was in." Hermione's flush intensified as she remembered the way she had torn open her shirt and thrown herself at him.

"Thank you; and I'm sorry." She watched Harry mull her apology over as he chewed on a strip of bacon. He swallowed it and pinned her to her seat with those eyes of his.

"Will you tell me why? What made you act like that?"

"I-... I was just so tired of being about as attractive as a coat rack. Ron and I were supposed to go to Professor Slughorn's party together and despite that he-... Lavender." It wasn't the most coherent sentence she'd ever put together but she could see a light of understanding in Harry's eyes. "I wanted to get back at him. I wanted to have something I could throw in his face."

"So you thought you'd get drunk and demand sex from me?" Harry's voice was laden with disbelief.

"Well, you were there and very sweet and I felt so safe with you and then they came in and he was going off with the most promiscuous girl in our year and from what I hear you're the most experienced boy and the way Ron was looking at you-" Hermione was rambling, the words tumbling over each other to get out. She paused only long enough to suck in a quick breath before rushing on since she could see a frown already settling on Harry's face and she knew that if she let him interrupt that she would never finish her story. "It all sort of came together in my mind that if I slept with you, Ron would be really jealous, but- but I was scared, Harry. I've never done something like this before and the only way I could think of to stop doubting myself long enough to go through with it was to get drunk. I knew that you would never let anything bad happen to me so I thought it would be safe to do so and the only place I could think of where there might be illicit alcoholic beverages was the Room and-... well, you saw what happened." She was panting a little at the end of her rant and Harry was definitely frowning now. Hermione watched as he deliberately took a bite of his eggs and chewed slowly to give himself time to consider his answer. When he looked back up at her there was something in his expression that she couldn't quite read and which did nothing to reassure her.

"Your plan would never have worked." Harry said quietly. "Leaving aside for a moment that I wouldn't want to make the hostility between you and Ron worse… you seem to have made an assumption about me and sex that is just plain wrong."

"I know I'm not pretty, Harry." Hermione snapped out in embarrassment. "I thought I'd get at least some reaction when I ripped open my blouse and showed you my breasts though."

"Actually I think you and your breasts are very pretty." There was a warning in his voice that Hermione almost didn't hear as the meaning of Harry's words washed over her. "I was talking about this idea that you have that I'm some kind of Casanova."

"You're not?" Hermione felt rather like a rug had been pulled out from under her. That look she couldn't quite identify grew more intense.

"Hermione, last year you had to explain every little thing about my relationship with Cho to me."

"But the rumours-" Hermione almost bit her tongue as she realised what she was about to say and snapped her mouth shut. An understanding of what she was seeing in Harry's expression crystalised in an instant: hurt and disappointment that she had believed rumours and not what she knew of him.

"Why?" Behind that one word Hermione could hear a wealth of questions. Why did I believe the rumours? Why didn't I talk to him about them if they were bothering me? Why was I listening to rumours in the first place?

"Well, they were pretty persistent. I mean I knew not all of them could be true, but-... Harry, Ginny even confided in me that the two of you had snuck out to the orchard over the summer and, well, I couldn't imagine that she would lie about something like that. I thought that there was at least some truth to what I was hearing."

"Ginny?!" Harry's face paled noticeably. "Ginny told you that she and I…?" Hermione nodded.

"Sorry." And sorry, Ginny. I don't think your dreams of Harry suddenly falling in love with you are going to work out. "I really thought that it didn't sound like you but after Ginny and Cho and even Parvati started talking about things they'd done with you… girls don't usually do that, Harry." Hermione hesitated for a moment before adding: "And you and I haven't really been as close as we used to be. Ron and I have gone days without really spending time with you. I didn't feel like it was something I could talk to you about."

"Seriously? You decided that the tension between us was because I was sleeping around?" Harry's expression suggested that she was overlooking something obvious before he shook his head. "Most of the time I've been here; studying."

"You've been studying?" Was that really a more logical assumption given your past interest in academics?

"You may have missed it when I told you this summer, but there's this prophecy that says that I'm the only one who can stop a mass-murdering psychopath with a seventy year head-start on me." I can't really argue with that.

"So why here?"

"First of all, the room provides me with any materials I might need. Second, it only allows one configuration at a time and unless you know which one's being used and aren't barred entry by the summoner you can't get in; that gives me privacy. Third-... never mind." The way Harry cut himself off and looked away was more than a little suspicious.

"What was the third reason, Harry?" Hermione tried to keep her voice calm and reassuring, hoping that a soft approach would get better results than outright demanding might.

"Forget about it. It would just start an argument."

"Will you tell me if I promise not to argue with you about it?"

"Can you?"

"I can't promise to agree with you, but I can promise not to argue with you." Hermione tried to project sincerity as Harry's eyes raked over her. She could read his decision in the tensing of his shoulders before he began to speak.

"The third reason is that while I'm using the room, Malfoy can't use it for whatever he's planning." He held her gaze steadily while he talked and to Hermione it seemed that he was issuing a challenge: 'can you keep your promise?'. When he mentioned Malfoy she barely restrained a groan but was already rolling her eyes.

"Okay, and what makes you think that Malfoy wants to get in here?" I promised that I wouldn't argue, but I never said I wouldn't ask questions.

"He's been by three times already this morning to try and open the room."

"What?!" Hermione felt something cold settle in her chest. "Are you sure?"

"I asked the room to alert me to anyone trying to get in. I'm sure." But- but that means that I was… wrong.

"What do you think he's up to?" Hermione had to steel herself to say the words, but she got them out.

"You believe me?" The surprise in Harry's voice was almost painful to hear.

"I believe you and- and I'm sorry for not believing you sooner." Harry gave a jerky nod and heaved a shuddering sigh.

"I'm not sure what he's doing. He's apparently asking for a place to hide things, but I don't know what he's trying to hide or maybe find."

"You know that it could be something completely innocuous right?" Please don't blow up at me. Please don't blow up at me.

"It could be." Harry admitted. "On the other hand it could be something like the necklace that injured Katie so badly that she's still in St. Mungo's. I can only remember two instances in our time at Hogwarts where 'it's probably nothing; let's ignore it' would have been the correct response and as I recall we fought over those as well."

"Oh?"

"The Firebolt in our third year when it really was just a gift and our trip to the Ministry last year when I should have listened to you." Hermione turned Harry's idea over in her thoughts a few times, analysing it as thoroughly as she could. It's an interesting point at least. I'm not sure that I couldn't come up with more, or different, situations that would have been better if we'd let them be, but the greater idea does have some validity.

"Alright. So what are we going to do?" Hermione asked resolutely. She could see Harry blink twice before unmistakable gratitude radiated out from his eyes.

"I've just been trying to keep an eye on him. I need some real proof that he's doing something wrong since no one-... well, no one except for you now, is willing to even consider the idea that he's up to something."

"And if it is something like hiding dirty magazines? Would that convince you that he's innocent?"

"Probably not." Harry admitted with a shrug. "There are just too many things that aren't adding up right. Malfoy's given up his place on the Quidditch team for no clear reason despite the significant investment made to get him onto it in the first place. He has at least heavily implied that he's taken the Mark. He seems to be under a great deal of stress. I-... I've been watching him on the map sometimes. He's been up here a lot and he always leaves Crabbe, Goyle or Nott standing in the corridor for a few hours while he is."

"And you wondered why we thought you were becoming slightly obsessed with Malfoy." Hermione commented sardonically.

"I'd rather be paranoid than up to my eyeballs in another Death Eater plot." was his only response. Hermione heaved a sigh.

"Why don't we try asking for the same kind of room Malfoy wanted?" she asked. Harry's nod and smile of thanks did something funny to her stomach. Oh my, I didn't realise how much I'd missed seeing that. Over the course of their discussions the two friends had finished their breakfast and as they rose from the table the dishes disappeared in a very familiar manner. Hermione had a brief impulse to demand whether Harry was using the Hogwarts house elves, but decided that it would keep for now. Until that morning she hadn't realised just how fragile their friendship had become. I am never letting things get this awkward between us again. If that means that Harry gets a one time free pass on making extra work for the elves then so be it. She watched as Harry closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them.

"There's no one outside right now. Let's go." Typical Harry Potter. Anyone else would have requested an interface to get that information, but no, Harry has to give the magic of the room direct access to his mind. Hermione shook her head as she followed Harry outside and after a little pacing to reconfigure the room they reentered to find themselves in a space the size of a cathedral. "Damn." Hermione looked to the side at Harry's quiet curse. "Talk about hiding in plain sight. There's so much junk here that it's as good as impossible to figure out what Malfoy's using this place for." Looking around Hermione reluctantly had to agree with him. "If only we had some way of looking in here when Malfoy's around."

"We can!" Hermione exclaimed as she lit up with an idea. "Help me find a mirror." Harry didn't hesitate, but started looking through the piles of rubbish for what she had asked for. Both of them were careful not to touch anything suspicious with their bare hands and they avoided digging in the more precarious piles to avoid having those kinds of objects fall on their heads. After about fifteen minutes of diligent searching Harry came up with a mirror that would fit in one of their bookbags and handed it to Hermione. She placed it on the ground and fired several Cutting Charms at it.

"What the-... Hermione?"

"Bear with me, Harry." Hermione replied as she picked up the pieces and handed them to him. Next she transfigured the mirror's frame so that it could hold all the mirror pieces separately as if it was a window pane. Once all the pieces were slotted back into place Hermione took the mirror and began casting. She could see Harry forcing himself to sit on his curiosity as she walked around and repeated a set of spells at different locations. "Okay, I'm done. Let's get out of here."

"What did you actually do, Hermione?" her friend asked her as he joined her in hurrying towards the exit.

"Visual Monitoring Charms linked to the mirror. I placed them at the first few intersections. It'll take some time, but this way we can figure out where Malfoy is going in this mess. We simply keep track of which monitors he passes and we'll come back to place the ones he doesn't pass further ahead on his possible routes. Sooner or later we're going to get a look at what he's doing." Hermione explained, stuffing the mirror in her bag.

"That's genius!" Harry whispered in awe. "Hermione, I could kiss you!"

"That's certainly a turnaround from last night." Hermione hadn't meant to say it, and certainly not in that bitter tone, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her face flamed red as she felt Harry grab her arm and pull her to a stop. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't-.. I wasn't-" Her words were cut off by the fleeting contact of a warm pair of lips on hers.

"If I could have been sure that you wouldn't have regretted it in the morning I would have done that last night." Harry's husky voice whispered in her ear doing funny things to her insides and the stability of her knees. Before she had recovered from what had actually been a very chaste kiss, but most certainly a kiss, Harry was pulling her along towards the exit from the room again. Hermione's mind was whirling as she tried to analyse what had just happened, but every time she thought she was getting close to figuring this out her thought process ran into the wall that was Harry just kissed me. Harry Potter just kissed me. Finally one other thought managed to make itself heard: we need to talk about this.

Hermione's head came up and she opened her mouth to ask him to stop when she realised that they were walking down a hallway and she didn't even know what floor they were on. Change of plans. Hermione pulled on the hand Harry was using to lead her along until he followed her into a classroom. She resolutely closed the door and turned to find that damnable smile facing her. That smile that made her want to see what it would be like to really kiss Harry. Heat washed over her cheeks as her imagination ran wild. Damn it, Hermione, focus! Be mature about what happened and see where the two of you stand. You can do this.

"You just kissed me." she blurted out.

"Well, about ten minutes ago, but yes."

"Why?" Hermione knew that she was usually a bit more articulate than this, but she still felt a little off balance after what had happened. She was a little relieved to see a slight red dusting on his face. At least I'm not the only one who's feeling like that.

"After last night I was kind of hoping that you might, um, might be interested in, um…" The reappearance of a Harry who was thoroughly uncomfortable with interpersonal relationships and his own feelings did more than anything else would have to calm Hermione down. She felt a smile spreading on her lips.

"Like I might be interested in what, hmm?" she purred as she stepped up to Harry who had clearly not been expecting this development.

"Ah, interested in, um,..." Harry visibly shook himself and Hermione found herself faced with a pair of determined green eyes. "Hermione, will you go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" Oh my. He really is serious about this.

"I'd like that, Harry." The smile on her face was almost painfully wide now. Harry seemed to almost sag in on himself in relief in front of her causing her to laugh as her own tension bled away. "I do have one condition though."

"Oh?" Some of Harry's nerves seemed to have made a comeback.

"Take me to Slughorn's party."

"Your condition for me to take you on a date is for me to take you on another date?"

"Yes."

"Deal!" Both teens laughter had a slightly giddy quality to it. By unspoken agreement the two of them slipped their hands into each other and slipped out of the classroom. Hermione found herself sneaking looks at Harry as they walked. Judging by the number of times she caught his face quickly turning away he was doing the same thing. The realisation that he was 'checking her out' caused a warmth to blossom in her chest and spread through her limbs. Hermione couldn't keep herself from trying to thrust her chest out a little bit as she walked so she would look more impressive at his next glance. Their entrance into the Great Hall was met with almost every head turning to look at them expectantly causing the two teens to freeze.

"I think we're missing something." Harry muttered out of the side of his mouth. Hermione nodded as she tried to swallow through a suddenly dry throat. The pair made their way over to the Gryffindor table as whispers rose like a wind around them. Nobody said anything loud enough that they could make out exactly why they were the centre of attention. As they sat down several Gryffindors shot to their feet, most of them the couple's yearmates. Ron shot them a disgusted glare as he stormed from the Hall, Lavender following in his wake, calling for him to slow down. Ginny had tears in her eyes as she marched past them with her nose in the air. For a moment she looked like she was going to say something, but in the end she just huffed and left the Hall at a barely more restrained pace than her brother. Dean was following her much like Lavender had followed Ron. Seamus, Neville and Parvati plopped themselves down around Harry and Hermione with eager looks on their faces.

"My man!" Seamus exclaimed as he clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Should've known that you'd be the one to tame our little spitfire! Fair play, mate."

"What?"

"Oh, Hermione you have to tell me all about it. I want details, girl." Parvati gushed at Hermione at the same time.

"Huh?"

"Come off it. Everyone already knows. You don't have to play innocent." Seamus chortled.

"Everyone knows what exactly?" Hermione asked with narrowed eyes.

"Seriously? The two of you disappear from the party last night, neither of your beds has been slept in, the Fat Lady was heard complaining about the two of you rushing past her, hand in hand, near curfew and no one's seen hide nor hair of you two until you walked into the Hall looking entirely too pleased with yourselves. If you wanted to hide what you were doing, you really should have put in at least a little effort."

"So what everyone 'knows' is that we had sex last night?" Harry asked to clarify what his yearmate was driving at. His only answer was knowing smirks from all of them. "Look, Hermione and I didn't have sex. She was kind of drunk and I wouldn't have felt right taking advantage of her like that." Harry told them earnestly only to be met with peals of laughter.

"Mate, next time come up with a believable story if you want to keep things a secret. I seriously had my doubts until you opened your mouth." Neville managed when he finally got his chuckles under control. "Hermione… drunk…" Laughter overtook him once more. Hermione could see that Harry was about to start yelling at their friends from the way his eyes darkened. She placed her hand on his forearm causing him to look at her in question.

"Don't bother getting angry at them, Harry." she whispered in his ear. "Anything you say now will simply be taken as confirmation of what they think happened. Besides if you'll remember my plan when I dragged you off last night then it shouldn't surprise you that they've reached this conclusion."

"But doesn't it bother you?" The concern in Harry's voice made Hermione smile.

"If the rumour had been about me and anyone else it might have. As it happens I don't mind this one at all." Her smile turned decidedly wicked. Harry just shook his head at her.

"When you look at it like that I suppose it could be worse." he admitted, a smile starting to form on his own lips.

"Good." Hermione leant her head against his shoulder and gave a content little sigh.

"You'd think the two of you would have gotten all the pillow talk out of the way last night." Parvati snickered once their whispered conversation ended.

"Pillow talk?!" Seamus asked in overdone disgust. "Tell me you did no such thing, Harry!"

"Oh? And what's wrong with pillow talk, Finnegan?" Parvati asked archly.

"It's rude not to concentrate on what you're doing, Patil." Seamus fired back with a knowing grin and an exaggerated leer that caused her faux-offended demeanour to crack as she giggled. From then on lunch passed in a blur of happy conversation that felt to Hermione like it was mostly swirling around her and Harry. This is good. Harry actually does like me as more than a reference library, with the rumours swirling now we can get them out of the way and no one will be talking when we actually do get around to sleeping together and everyone can still laugh despite the threat to our world.

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione was carefully applying the last touches to her makeup. Tonight was the night of Professor Slughorn's Christmas party and she was going to be attending with Harry; her boyfriend Harry Potter. It was still enough to make her pinch herself whenever she thought of him like that. The last few weeks were some of the best Hermione could ever remember living through. Harry was still a bit shy about their relationship, but when she could get them some privacy he was surprisingly willing to push his own boundaries. In fact, Hermione had discovered that she was usually the one who had to rein herself in before she pushed matters further than Harry was willing to go. There are upsides to that as well though. I don't think Harry's ever been as willing to talk about why he acts the way he does. Bloody Dursleys. Hermione wasn't sure whether that last thought was a curse or a promise. Either way she felt closer than she ever had to Harry.

The tensions that had existed between them were a thing of the past. Hermione had to confess, at least to herself, that Harry might have had a point about Malfoy being up to something. The amount of time he was spending in the Room of Requirement was suspicious enough by itself. She and Harry had been back twice already to reposition some monitoring charms, but they still weren't sure what the ferret was doing. Doesn't matter. We'll catch him eventually. The other source of tension between them, Harry's Potions book, had caused their first argument as a couple before it was resolved, but the important thing was that it had been resolved.

It had kicked off during one of Harry's study periods in the Room. Hermione had now joined him for those so that they could spend more time together. The first time Harry had pulled out that book Hermione had been unable to contain a disapproving sniff drawing a narrow eyed glare from Harry.

"Okay, that's it. We are having this out right now. What is it about this book that you can't stand?" Hermione had allowed herself a second and half to be surprised at Harry's assertiveness.

"It's not the one you're supposed to be using and there's probably a reason for that. You have no idea what the modifications to the recipes do and some of the things written in margins look like they could be dark."

"They are."

"What?" Harry's matter of fact admission that he knew there was dark magic in that book stunned Hermione.

"Some of the spells in the margins would be classified as dark, without a doubt. I tried them out on practice dummies here in the room so that I'd know what they did before I went around firing them off willy-nilly. There are other spells that are just downright useful and certainly aren't dark."

"You know that there's dark magic in that thing and you still haven't gotten rid of it?!"

"The dark magic has nothing to do with potions. I know that you don't like that these modifications aren't part of the original publication, but honestly? I don't have time to learn both versions of the recipe and then examine why the improvements are better." Harry's tone was just tired. "I'm not studying for my N.E.W.T.s, Hermione. I'm studying to make sure that we survive long enough to take them. Same with the dark spells; they aren't something I particularly like knowing about, but they could, however, end up being something that I need to use if I'm going to win this war." When he phrased it that way it was damn hard to keep up her side of the argument, especially since he didn't look any happier about it than she did. If Harry's going to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, then the least I can do is not add to that burden.

"I still don't like that book, Harry. I just don't trust that 'Half-Blood Prince'. You're right that you need all the help you can get and I won't ask you to get rid of it anymore. Just be careful with it? Please?"

"I will, Hermione." Harry wore a small smile despite the weariness she could still hear in his voice and Hermione had decided there and then that their study session should come to an end in favour of a much needed cuddle session. From that day forward Harry had been more open with her about what he was studying and why. At first she had been shocked to discover just how violent his studies had gotten, but knowing that Harry was preparing to fight a war all by himself against overwhelming odds caused a different reaction than she would have had before they had started dating. Instead of berating him, Hermione had learnt the same spells and helped him research more. Like hell I'm going to let Harry face those monsters alone. I need to be prepared too.

Not everything in their lives had gone that smoothly though. Several people were less than pleased that the Boy Who Lived was dating someone who wasn't them. That's not really a problem though. I always knew that the moment Harry started dating someone they would earn the hatred of half the unattached witches and a few of the unattached wizards. No, what really hurt was that the two youngest Weasleys had firmly planted themselves in that camp despite having relationships of their own. Though from what I've heard Dean and Lavender are getting pretty tired of their griping and I can't blame them. I'm getting tired of Ron and Ginny acting like Harry and I betrayed them somehow too and I'm not dating either of them. Do they expect us to give up on this relationship so that we can watch them with their chosen partners?

Hermione heaved a sigh of frustration and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing the dress her mother had sent her after hearing that she and Harry would be going to a Christmas party together. The accompanying letter had contained the unavoidable command "Get pictures!" so she was determined to get her appearance at least somewhat acceptable. For the first time since the Yule Ball she had wasted an inordinate amount of time on her hair. She hadn't used quite as much Sleekeazy's this time though since Harry had admitted to liking her curls after she had been grousing about the frizzing effect of snow on their way back from their Hogsmeade trip. I hope he wasn't just being polite, but this takes so much less effort and if he was being honest it will be more effective. Hermione took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom to find her roommates waiting for her.

"Oh my goodness! You are going to knock his socks off!" Parvati squealed happily.

"Looking good, Granger. Parv's right, Harry'll have to pick his jaw up off the floor." Lavender grinned approvingly. Hermione was relieved that Lavender wasn't taking out her frustrations with Ron on her roommate, even if things had been a bit awkward at first.

"Thanks, girls. I hope so."

"Well, let's not wait around. Lav and I are going to watch from the stairs. No way do I want to miss seeing Harry's face. I've got a nice bet going with Seamus about how long it takes him to form a coherent word." Parvati grinned.

"Don't poison us with the details." Hermione shot back, amused and a little surprised at the fact that at age seventeen she was finally able to talk to other girls and not feel like an outsider.

"None of your business anyway. Now shoo!" Shaking her head at the Indian witch's antics Hermione made her way down the stairs. When the common room started to come into view she subconsciously held her breath. A moment later she was treated to the sight of Harry's face slipping into an expression of absolute awe. The breath and the tension rushed right back out of her and a smile that might have been more of a smirk made its way onto her lips. Her steps became more of a saunter than a walk as she crossed the floor to stand in front of him. In the background she could hear Colin Creevey's camera clicking away madly.

"Harry? Are we ready?" He just nodded, his eyes still wide and apparently trying to take in all of her at once. She watched him visibly swallow and carefully nod before offering his arm. As she took it she thought that her question might have been taken two ways. I'm not sure Harry is ready to face Slughorn's party, but we're getting ready for whatever we have to face. I'm sure that as long as it's the two of us together we'll be able to overcome any challenge Fate tries to throw at us.

:-:-:-:-:

Grief. Grief was the only emotion Hermione could feel as she cried her eyes out into Harry's shoulder. The eulogies about their headmaster washed over her like so much meaningless noise. How could this have happened? How could he abandon us like that? Hermione's analytical mind tried to work its way through her questions out of habit and she didn't have the energy to stop herself.

A few days ago Harry had come running into the common room while he should have been in a meeting with the headmaster. He had frantically explained to her what was going on: he and Professor Dumbledore would be going out to collect a horcrux. Despite their efforts to stop Malfoy, Harry still had a bad feeling.

Months ago her monitoring scheme had uncovered that Malfoy was tinkering with a vanishing cabinet. It had taken Hermione no time at all to recall that if there was a matched one somewhere they would form a connection. Her hypothesis had been that Malfoy was trying to get them to work through the Hogwarts wards and Harry's solution had been simple: a Blasting Curse that turned the rare magical artefact into a pile of kindling. They had left the closest Visual Monitoring Charm up and were treated to the sight of Malfoy heaving up everything in his stomach at the sight of his project in irreparable ruins. Even that had apparently not been enough to assuage Harry's suspicions.

"Voldemort wouldn't have become such a threat if he gave up at the first setback. Take this and be careful." Hermione could clearly remember the words he had spoken while shoving his bottle of Felix Felicis into her hands. Before she had been able to formulate a response Harry had pressed a fierce kiss to her lips, told her he loved her and run out of the portrait hole clutching his invisibility cloak. Hermione had initially tried to get back to her studying, but it had been to no avail. Worry for Harry had kept her from being able to remember so much as a single sentence she read. She had given it up as a bad job and grabbed the Map so that she would know the moment Harry was back in the castle.

Hermione's eyes scanning the perimeter of the grounds for any sign of the familiar dot was the only thing that allowed her to see the attack coming. A single line of Death Eaters, led by Peter Pettigrew, made its way through the tunnel that led from the Shrieking Shack to the Whomping Willow.

Hermione had jumped into action without hesitation. Harry's concern had been infectious and she had been fingering her DA medallion while she studied the map. Before the Death Eaters had even emerged from the passage Hermione had already sent out the alert. Neville running up to her with a near panicked look on his face had drawn Seamus, Lavender and Parvati over as well. They immediately agreed to help defend the castle as part of the DA. As Parvati had put it:

"Harry taught the DA for a reason and even if we didn't see our coins you still called us." The five teens had run out of the portrait hole to warn the staff and ran right into Luna Lovegood who had been coming to answer the call as surely as Neville had. Hermione had intended to go find McGonagall herself, but was stopped by Lavender pointing out that she was probably their best fighter and should be finding a defensible position while letting others play messenger. It was quickly decided that the three who weren't a part of the Ministry Six would alert as many teachers as they could find. Hermione had shared out Harry's Felix Felicis at that point to ensure that they all had the best possible chance of surviving the coming fight.

The potion proved its worth shortly after the group split up. Hermione had cast an eye over the map again and noticed Malfoy letting the Death Eaters into the castle. She also noticed several Order members between them and the invading terrorists. Leading the way at a dead sprint she had gathered up a group that contained most of the witches and wizards who had come to their rescue a year earlier. Together they had prepared to face the oncoming threat.

The Death Eaters had reached them at the same time as Lavender, Parvati and Seamus had returned with reinforcements. The battle had been fierce but thanks to the potion Harry had left with her none of the DA members were seriously injured. In fact the most serious injury had been Bill Weasley's mauling by an untransformed Fenrir Greyback.

At least, if you didn't count death as an injury. Hermione had been shocked when several Death Eaters who must have snuck off at some point in all the confusion came sprinting down the Hall followed by a livid Harry Potter. She later learnt from her boyfriend that Snape had murdered the Headmaster. I will never refer to that man as 'professor' again. He betrayed that title.

The end result of the night had been one fake Horcrux recovered, three Death Eaters dead from curses that were dark in nature and no one would admit to casting in public, Snape disappeared from Hogwarts and Harry Potter looking grimmer than anyone had ever seen him.

Hermione had done what she could over the past few days to cheer her boyfriend up, but that night had left its mark on him. Hermione knew exactly who had brought down Death Eaters with lethal force and how much it scared him that he might have taken his first steps towards becoming what he hated. She knew how he felt the weight of the world squarely on his shoulders. The last of the people who had been able to shoulder a part of that burden with him had died. She knew that she couldn't carry that for him so she held him up instead. A part of the tears she was shedding now were for Harry as much as Dumbledore.

Hermione also knew Harry well enough to know what was coming after the funeral. He would try to convince her to run, to take her parents and get out of the country and harm's way. Her arms tightened around him as if to prevent him from even starting down that path. Focusing on the future helped Hermione gain some control of her emotions. Turning her eyes to Harry, Hermione felt her determination crystalise into a vow. I'm not going to let him face this alone. It might be Harry's destiny to save the world, but I'm making it my destiny to save Harry Potter so he can live in that world afterwards. I'm going to make sure that when his children go to Hogwarts their father will be there to see them off on the Express and that they will know the truth about him rather than having to rely on rumours about a mythical figure that would never be able to do justice to the man that I love.

The End

AN: There you have it. I think that this would have set Rowling up for a finish that wouldn't have left quite so many people head-desking. Harry's taking his destiny seriously and Hermione is helping him and really that's all I wanted from those last two books. At least canon leaves us with a chance to really get into our chosen hobby.

In case you are wondering: the scene with Harry and Malfoy in Myrtle's bathroom didn't happen since he had Hermione helping him and was smart enough to use the freaking holodeck at his disposal to check what the Prince's spells actually did rather than try them out at the single most inopportune time possible.

I want to thank you once again for all your support over the past year and hope to see you back here for a long time to come.

Until next time: happy reading.

LeQuin