Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Harry wanted to preserve the moment. He had actually gotten the last word and he felt it was a rather witty way to get under Ron's skin. It certainly wasn't the last lick of revenge that his best friend had coming to him but it was a start. On the other hand (mostly likely the one that was connected to Hermione) Harry felt the sinking feeling of guilt. He had just taunted his best friend with what he knew was in fact one of his biggest insecurities. He also realized how that comment must've affected Ginny and cursed himself for doing that to her.

"Harry James Potter!"

It was amazing how just the sound of her voice brought him back to reality. He stared at her for a moment and even if he tried to, he wouldn't have been able to stop the grin on his face from widening.

In his rush to get away from any backlash he might've received from the two Weasley's, Harry had gone directly to the fireplace and sent them back to Hogwarts without specifying which room he was supposed to go to. It was why Hermione was covered in soot from the neglected Hogwarts fireplace and it was one of the reasons she was roasting him with a rather fiery glare.

Hermione rubbed her face in frustration, groaning as she accidentally rubbed a thick line across her forehead. She cocked her head threateningly as Harry snorted at the look on her face. The parting words that Harry had left Ron and Ginny with came back to her and she froze in place as if she needed to stop what she was doing in order to reprocess it.

WHACK!

"What was that for?" Harry yelled, nursing his unattached arm. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and made to punch his arm once more.

"That was for what you said to Ron and Ginny!"

He turned his shoulder away to keep his arm out of her range when she lifted her soot covered shoe and stomped on his foot. Harry yelled out once more and stumbled backwards, pulling Hermione down with him. They both went into coughing fits as the unsettled dust flew around them after their impact and waved their free hands wildly around them in order to keep it away from them. Harry groaned as Hermione's elbow found it's way into his stomach and just as she were about to attack him again he rolled himself over and wrestled her free hand from abusing him further.

"Why. Are. You. Hitting. Me?" Harry asked, emphasizing each word slowly and showing how annoyed he was with her. Hermione glared at him and the two fought for the upper hand a little longer before she finally huffed and relented.

"I told you! The first one was for what you said to Ron and Ginny! The second one was for sending me through a bunch of filthy cobwebs!" She was breathing heavily from the adrenaline of their argument at the Burrow and Harry swore he could actually see her thinking of a third reason for elbowing him in the gut.

"And the third one?" He asked mockingly, pinning her arm down once more as she squirmed out of his grasp.

"Because you threw me on the ground! Now get off of me, you big oaf!" He found himself amused at the growl in her voice and rolled his eyes at her, earning another huff in return.

"First off, I did not 'throw' you anywhere. If you hadn't insisted on trying to stomp my foot into the dungeons I wouldn't have stumbled back." He looked at her pointedly as she shifted under him once more and she looked away, thoroughly annoyed with him. He took her silence as a means to continue.

"And second, Ron deserved what I said. He was being stupid and I don't care that it got a rise out of him. I don't know why you're defending him-"

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are."

"I am not, Harry!"

"You are too, Hermione! Otherwise, why would you have hit me?"

The point seemed to have driven home as Hermione stewed in frustration, not bothering to give him an answer. Having realized that she was not going to attack him any more, Harry let go of her wrist and slid away from her, groaning as his back hit the cold hard castle floor. The two laid silently on the dirty floor of the unknown room feeling tired, frustrated and dirty. Hermione stared up at the cobweb covered chandelier and thought about Harry's last comment. Truthfully, she didn't know why she was so angry with him. She had grown so upset during their conversation with Ron and Ginny that a part of her felt that if Harry hadn't said what he did, she would've. It bothered her a bit at how little she cared about how upset Ron would be right now.

"We can't go back to the Burrow now." Hermione told him, earning a scoff from Harry.

"Of course we can-" He coughed as Hermione's foot found his shin and kicked it hard.

"You're so dense sometimes! Do you think Mrs. Weasley will be happy when she hears about what you said and sees how upset her two youngest children are? Have you forgotten how upset she was over Rita Skeeter's articles during the Triwizard Tournament?"

Hermione moved away from him once more and Harry cringed at the point she made and was finding it harder to defend the comment he had made as they left. He thought of how angry Ginny must be with him at that very moment and he paled slightly.

"Look, Hermione, we'll be able to go back-" He paused as she shot a glare in his direction. "Mrs. Weasley will be cross for a little but she'll get over it."

They were quiet again for a long time before Harry finally spoke up.

"Why didn't they come after us?"

Hermione rolled her head to the side to look at Harry; he was looking up at the chandelier above them. She could tell by the look on his face that even though he had defended his choice of words, he was starting to feel guilty about it now that he was thinking on it. She sighed, and turned her head back to gaze at the chandelier along with him, feeling even guiltier that she had hit him so many times.

"Hogwarts: A History."

Harry turned his head to see that she had closed her eyes, looking more tired than he felt. When she opened her eyes, she could see him watching her and met his stare for a moment before turning away once more.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you'll ever read that book, Harry." She told him tiredly, earning a small grin from her best friend.

"Of course I'm going to read that book." He told her sarcastically, watching as she rolled her eyes and fought the smile that started forming in the corner of her mouth.

"They didn't come after us because they can't come after us. Not just anyone can floo into Hogwarts, there are too many wards against that sort of thing. Only people specifically keyed in by the Head of the school and the deputy head can come through. Of course, anyone can call through the floo which is why Sirius was able to get in touch with you during fourth year." She closed her eyes once more and Harry watched as her face relaxed.

"I'm sorry for hitting you." She told him, her eyes still closed. A part of him wanted to frustrate her further by not accepting her apology just yet but he decided against it.

"I'm sorry if I cause a problem between you and Ron." He mumbled. Hermione opened one eye and raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to roll his eyes in return.

"Fine. I'm sorry for definitely causing a problem between you and Ron." Hermione smiled for a moment before she sighing for what felt like the millionth time.

"All you did was add to the pile, Harry. It's nothing new." She told him solemnly. For the second time in two days Harry wondered just how rocky the relationship between his best friends had gotten. He thought briefly about how her father felt about Ron and wondered if Jasper was right.

"Ginny's going to kill you. You know that, right?" It was Harry's turn to sigh while Hermione turned to watch him.

"She's not as up front with me as I thought she was. All that stuff she said, about how I haven't been around. She made it seem like-" He struggled for the right words and Hermione could tell he was growing angry with himself for not being able to express himself properly.

"Like you wanted to do all the things you've done this past year?" Hermione interjected carefully, earning a thankful nod from her best friend.

"Do you ever get tired of knowing so much?" He asked her, causing her eyes to widen slightly in surprise. She turned her head towards him and studied him for a moment before turning away. Thinking that she was offended by his question, Harry nudged her gently with his throbbing foot.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. You know that I think you're brilliant." He wondered briefly why his face grew so hot as he said it and passed it as being nervous that she would hit him once more. Hermione felt her chest swell at his words, almost wanting to sigh in relief at the compliment. For the most part, she held back the pleasure she felt and released only a slight smile.

"I know you weren't trying to insult me. To answer your question, I like being the one with all the answers…" There was a pause and Harry waited for her to continue speaking as it sounded like she weren't completely finished answering him.

"…but sometimes I wish I wasn't."

Harry regarded her carefully, watching the pensive and somewhat painful look that crossed her face before it disappeared as quickly as it came. He wasn't sure what it meant or why she wished it but said nothing, storing the question for another day. They stayed like that a little longer until Hermione finally sat up, groaning at the pain in her back from falling so awkwardly. She felt like she were caked in dirt and grime and snorted out a laugh when she saw that Harry looked exactly as she felt. He sat up next to her and wanted nothing more than to scrub his face clean as he felt dust sprinkle away from his hair.

Harry got up first and as he waited for Hermione to stand up as well, he surveyed the room they were in. While it was obvious that the room had been abandoned for some time, Harry wondered just what type of room it was. It was a bit smaller than the Gryffindor common room and the only slivers of light were the ones coming from behind the large curtains on the far side of the room. Scattered throughout were objects covered in a dingy practically threadbare white cloth and Harry could barely make out what was on the walls.

"Where are we, anyway?" He asked aloud, more to himself than to Hermione.

As the witch stood up, she took in her surroundings the same as he had before, mirroring his look of confusion. Taking out her wand, she moved the curtains to the side, turning her head away as the outside light filled the room. The room was much bigger than it appeared in the dark and they could see now that above the chandelier were another set of curtains that were tied in place covering the ceiling. They walked over to the tall window and grew even more confused as they saw Hogwarts shining across the lake.

"What is this place?" Hermione whispered, her free hand touching the floor length glass window gently.

She wracked her brain for any sort of clue as to how it was possible that they were in such a room. Surely, she thought, it was impossible that they had never seen this place before. Harry, just as baffled as Hermione, lifted his hand and carefully moved the curtains away from the ceiling. He heard Hermione gasp beside him as the thick black coverings gave way and revealed a glass dome ceiling in which the dull golden metal that held it together practically glittered in the sunlight. The chandelier they had seen earlier looked as if it were once as golden as the metal above but was covered in grime from being out of use for so long.

The light from above illuminated the room in a way that seemed almost heavenly. Where they had shifted the dust in the scuffle showed that beneath the dirt and dust were light wooden floors and as they turned away from the glass window, they saw bookshelves lined around the top half the room and what looked like a now rickety spiral staircase that led to the tomes above. Harry had a feeling that he would need to stop Hermione from trying to climb the old staircase.

Hermione was pulled out of her trance as Harry pointed out a set of doors. The two walked over to the engraved door and once again, Hermione touched it gently as if she were afraid she were going to break it. It appeared to be a set of ancient runes carved into the door that Harry had no idea what it meant. His hand lifted to the door knob when Hermione stopped him.

"Wait, we don't know what could be behind there. I…" Her face screwed up in confusion as she read the runes.

"What does it say?"

"Something along the lines of 'hail the day the sun met the sea.' Well that doesn't sound too bad." Harry laughed at the look on her face.

"Don't look so put out. I'm sure there will be some sort of evil thing waiting to kill us at some point of our day."

Not bothering to look at the glare he knew was on her face, he twisted the knob and pushed his free shoulder into the door as it seemed a bit jammed. They waved their hands in front of their face as the unsettled dust flew around in a fury just as it had earlier. Before they stepped into the room Harry waved his hand towards the curtains and let the light fill the room.

In the center of the room was a large cherry wood bed frame with a sunken in with feathers askew. Opposite of the windows was an open doorway leading to a shaded room that they couldn't really see. Cautiously, the two walked towards the shady room with their wands at the ready in case anything wanted to fly out at them. Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry gently pushed her behind him but said nothing. In the light, they could just make out torches on the wall, to which Hermione whispered "Incendio." They watched as the ball of fire split and flew into the few torches that lit the room and brightened to show a large white tub reminiscent of the Prefect's bath. What once had been clean and smooth white stone was now rough and the statue where the water should come from looked as if it had been his with a blasting hex.

"I don't understand, how is this possible?"

Harry tried not to show how unnerved he was but in truth he worried. Nothing good ever came from Hermione not having the answer.

"We can't just leave, Harry. What if we can't get back?" Hermione told him, trying not to eye the bookshelves on the platform above her head. Harry groaned aloud. He felt as if he had taken a bath in a dirt pile, knew there was probably a howler waiting for him at the infirmary , was stuck in a medieval sort of getaway house that shouldn't exist and worst of all, he was hungry.

"Hermione-"

"Harry, I have no idea how or why we're here but this could very well be at old as Hogwarts itself and if it is then this, THIS…." Her hand gestured all around her and Harry couldn't help but smile at the light in her eyes as she spoke so excitedly. She looked funny standing there, swooning over the building and it's trappings, especially since she was covered in dirt and grime.

"…is amazing. Can you imagine, this being hidden all these years?" There was an airy tone to her voice that he would've associated with Luna instead of his best friend and he enjoyed it. He sighed, nodding his head and not surprised when Hermione practically tackled him to the floor with a hug.

"Alright, but we need to figure out a way to get…" His stomach growled and his face grew a bit red. Hermione smiled, and nodded .

"Right. We need food and we need-" They both pointed their wands as two loud pops surprised them. They watched as Winky and Mitsy blinked a bit in surprise before looking at Harry and Hermione.

"You're needing help and OHHH!" Winky yelled out, causing the two to take a step back nervously. The elf looked ready to cry and Mitsy looked as confused by the noise as the witch and wizard in the room.

"Yous is needing to leave this place, Harry Potter and Hermy Granger!" The elf cried out, practically hyperventilating. Harry felt on guard immediately and gripped his wand and, growing wary as well, Hermione whipped out her own wand. Harry bent down on his knee and in a whisper, spoke to the elf carefully.

"Is something here, Winky? Is it not safe?" He asked, worriedly.

The elf cried out once more and threw herself down and Harry looked at Hermione to do something in sudden panic. Even though she was an elf, she was a female elf and he was afraid that he would be too rough with her if he handled her as bluntly as he did Dobby. Seeming to pick up on his discomfort, Hermione bent down and grabbed Winky by the shoulders while Mitsy just hung her head.

"Winky, please, tell us what is wrong with this place-"

"IT IS NOT CLEAN FOR HARRY POTTER AND HERMY GRANGER!" The elf cried. Familiar fat tears slipped from her large brown eyes and she began sobbing in Hermione's hold as she held her with a look of disbelief.

"So there isn't anything dangerous here? No jinxes or – I don't know – booby traps or something?" Harry asked her, earning a fervent shake of the head. The two let out a sigh of relief and while the threat of danger was gone, the two were still relatively uncomfortable with the upset elf getting into such a tizzy.

"Winky, really, it's alright. It's alright." Hermione tried to comfort her, looking at Harry for help. Harry shook his head with wide eyes, mouthing an obvious 'No.' She glared at him lightly and began fussing over the upset elf.

"Why is mummy Winky thinking she is a bad elf?" A small squeak interrupted.

Harry blinked at the elf in surprise and he turned to Hermione who only motioned down at the still crying Winky in her arms with a smug look. He suddenly regretted not helping her earlier and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked down at the confused elf. It was obvious that Mitsy had not yet been taught to believe that she could be as bad an elf as her mother seemed to feel.

"You see, Mitsy...well…" He trailed off and looked at Hermione to tell him the right words to say. The brunette sighed, and shifted the hysterical elf to the side so she could speak properly.

"Your mum and dad are from a different time, Mitsy. They come from a learning that says that elves are bad if they do not make everything perfect for their masters. You're mum is teaching you to be a free thinker like Dobby, your father, was. Everyone is created equally, Mitsy, and no one should ever have to feel so helpless over a small task. As you grow older and as your mum grows older, things will become clearer." The words rolled off her tongue so easily and were said with such conviction that Harry wondered how she spoke without a paper in front of her to prompt her. The little elf nodded slowly, and hugged her mother's legs in what seemed a universal sign of comfort.

The two connected friends shared a look of relief as Winky calmed down and Harry squeezed her hand thankfully. The two smiled at one another for some time and it wasn't until Winky seemed to jolt herself into action that the Harry released his comforting hold on her hand.

"Winky is sorry for making a spectacle of herself." The elf told them as she wiped her face. Mitsy beamed up at her and continued to hold on to her mother.

"It's quite alright, Winky. I have to say though, how is it that you always know where to find us?" Hermione asked as they pulled themselves off the ground and stood up once more.

"Winky is head elf in charge of taking care of Harry Potter and his Hermy-"

"HER-MY-KNEE." Mitsy corrected, earning a smile from both of the older females in the room.

"Do you know where we are?" Harry asked her hopefully, he could practically feel Hermione's excitement as her focus was once again brought to the room.

"It is being one of the old private rooms. No one is knowing it is here because elf magic keeps it safe. We is workers of Hogwarts and we is keeping Hogwarts secrets even if we are free." She explained to them. Hermione wondered briefly if the elves knew about the Chamber of Secrets and Harry seemed to think the same. They stood in silence, both caught up in thoughts of the other secrets of Hogwarts when Winky interrupted their line of thinking.

"Hogwarts is picking you to be here. Elf magic says that no one is being picked to be here before."

They stood in shock for a moment before Harry spoke.

"What do you mean Hogwarts picked us?"

Winky looked at him for a moment before shaking her head with a smile that showed she thought he was silly.

"You is needing Hogwarts and Hogwarts is helping."

They watched as with a snap of her finger, a group of elves arrived – each looking equally horrified that two 'masters' of Hogwarts were witnessing a part of their castle in such dissary.

It was in no time after the elves arrived that they insisted Harry and Hermione leave so that they could get to work. It wasn't until Winky gave her sworn word as a 'good elf' that she could and would return them to the mystery room that Hermione finally relented and allowed her to send them back to Hogwarts.

"It's extraordinary. Imagine, Harry, what if it's one of the founders homes? What if that library has magic that we don't even know about or what if it can get us unglued. There are so many possibilities!" Harry had listened to her ramble on excitedly for the past ten minutes and occasionally threw in another question that got her talking even more exuberantly. He was happy just to watch her talk, glad to see the look in her eyes that had been dulled after a year on the run. Even caked in dirt, she looked so bright and alive in that moment and it twisted something inside of him as he watched her.

"Do know what this means?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled.

"We don't have to live in Hogsmeade. We can live right here, close to Hogwarts. No one even has to know we're stuck like this!" She told him, earning a small grin.

"An ancient and secret house that no one knows about and can't be seen? If you wanted me for yourself Hermione, you could've just asked."

The second the words came out of his mouth, he regretted it. It was something that he would've joked about with Ginny and as he watched Hermione's face begin to grow pink, he knew she caught the flirtatious manner in which his words had been said. Before he could say anything, or even apologize if he had made her uncomfortable, they heard a shriek that startled them both.

"What do you think you are doing? This is a school infirmary, not a quidditch pitch! You're both filthy!" The older woman was stomping towards them angrily and they both instantly jumped off the cot, grimacing as they saw the residue they left behind on the newly clean fitted sheets.

"Get in the bath, NOW! I don't care why you've both been holding it off but I will not have such poor hygiene care in my wing!" She pointed towards the direction of the baths and Harry and Hermione both tried to apologize when the woman just glared at them. They found themselves walking towards the bath as if they were scolded dogs with tails between their legs, their change of clothes levitated behind them.

Hermione could feel her heartbeat racing as Harry reluctantly led them to the bath. They watched as the water filled up, a translucent green and blue soap poured generously through two of the taps and filled the tub with bubbles. Neither said anything until the bath reached nearly finished being filled and neither made a move to undress. Hermione began fidgeting and biting her lip while Harry felt the need to push his glasses back up what seemed like every ten seconds.

The bath stopped itself and they stared at the water anxiously.

"I guess we should call a house elf…" Hermione suggested, her voice a bit high as she spoke. Harry nodded dumbly, and neither jumped at the appearance of Winky and Mitsy as they arrived shortly after she spoke.

"Ok, just look away." Hermione told him. He complied instantly and turned his head away and closed his eyes. He felt the instant cool of having his shirt removed and his body went hot at the idea that Hermione was next to him in the same predicament.

Hermione in turn, shivered and covered her top half graciously with one arm. The natural curiosity that she had been born with was making her turn red as she imagined that Harry would be undressed as well. The two paused as Winky and Mitsy left them to their private session of embarrassment and Hermione could feel Harry shift next to her.

"Bottoms?" Harry asked, his voice squeaking as if he were going through puberty once more. He prayed to every god that he had ever heard of that he would not be graced with the reaction that a man got when they thought of a beautiful woman naked for that was all that plagued his mind and as a precaution, started picturing Professor Slughorn in a bathing suit It was like the headline "HERMIONE IS BARE" was trying to break into his mind and he swallowed nervously as he heard the sound of a zipper next to him.

After both shaking themselves out of their shorts, Hermione wanted to cry in shame as she stood so vulnerably in front of the bath. There was no doubt that she wouldn't be able to look at Harry the same after this. Harry just wanted to bury his head in the dirt in order to physically stop himself from turning to see Hermione.

"Just jump in. It's deep enough." Hermione told him shakily. Without waiting for a reply, she began walking towards the edge of the large bath and pulled Harry along with her. He couldn't see the pool of water as his head and his body were turned away from her awkwardly and he followed her in shaky steps.

"One." Hermione whispered.

"Two." Harry croaked.

Without saying anything, they jumped in at three with closed eyes as they felt the soothing warm water envelope them. When they surfaced, Harry felt Hermione's side accidentally slip against him in a loss of footing and nearly groaned aloud at the feeling of her smooth flesh. He wanted to scream at her that she was his best friend and that she should be as unattractive as Goyle and she shouldn't put him in the strange position of imagining her naked for the first time while she she's naked next to him. Harry could feel himself grow irrationally mad at her and while it bothered him, it was easier to be mad at her at the moment.

The second Hermione felt Harry's skin against hers she swore her body must have been dipped in blush. She moved away from him as quickly as possible and began gathering bubbles around her in order to make it harder to see beneath the surface. When the commotion of their entry had died down, the two stood rather awkwardly and silently next to one another. In the moment of silence, Hermione grew horrified as her eyes grew watery with tears that threatened to make themselves known and the more horrified she became the worse it got until eventually she was crying openly. Harry's eyes widened as he heard the soft hiccups coming from her direction.

"Are you crying?" He asked, bewildered at the prospect.

"NO!" Hermione yelled out, her voice giving her away.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, genuinely confused as to why the situation warranted tears and not punching of a certain redhead miles away. She didn't answer him, content only to cry in the bath while his head was turned. He asked again, hating the useless feeling he always got whenever a girl cried around him. She only cried harder and he dipped his head in the water frustratingly before coming back up for air.

"I'm going to turn around now…" He warned, earning only a sob in response.

Hermione was only vaguely aware of the fact that he had turned to face her, and she wanted to curse herself for being so silly. The majority part of her was horrified and ashamed as she gathered more bubbles around her while the small part of her grew excited as he turned, feeling as if her heart would break through her chest.

Harry looked at her and swallowed nervously. Her brown hair was soaked from their jump and pooled behind her shoulders. Shoulders: something he had never fantasized about before but was certain now that he always would. She had covered her top half protectively with her free hand and watched his eyes as he seemed to inspect every part of her bare skin before looking at her face. It had gotten slightly puffy from crying and he stared at her as he watched tears slip out of the corners of her eyes.

"Hermione, why are you crying?" He asked again. Hermione felt her knees want to buckle at how rough his voice sounded, almost as if he were in pain restraining himself from looking at her further.

"This just isn't fair. I thought that the first time anyone ever saw me like this... it would be different!"

She realized after she spoke that she was practically yelling and Harry's eyebrows raised as she spoke. It was like a slap in his face as he realized that and some point or another, Hermione had fantasized about being naked in front of another person intimately. It hit him even harder that it meant she and Ron hadn't taken that next step in their relationship.

After a moment or so of quiet, Hermione looked up to see that Harry was staring intently at the water, looking frustrated and even a bit disturbed.

"At least it's an actual human being seeing you, I had to suffer through Moaning Mrytle during fourth year." He joked with her cautiously.

He watched as the corners of her mouth twitched a little as she fought the urge to smile. He rolled his eyes, not enjoying the fact that another laugh could be had at the embarrassing memory but glad that she wasn't as upset. Harry splashed a bit of water on his face as he found himself watching a drop of water travel down his best friend's neck and turned away from her once more in order to start washing up. Deciding that she should follow his lead, Hermione began her own task of cleaning off the dirt and grime. She chanced a backwards glance at him and watched enraptured as he dipped under the water and back up, rinsing the soap from his hair, feeling like a peeping tom she turned back to her duties.

The two cleaned up quickly, both careful not to accidentally touch the other again. Hermione grew nervous as she watched the bubbles begin to naturally disperse.

"I think we ought to get out now." She told him, this time being the one to turn towards him. Without meaning to, his eyes swept the surface of the water and though he wasn't sure if Hermione caught it his face reddened a bit.

"Right. How do we do that?" He asked. The two stared at the narrow stairs that one would usually take in and out of the bathtub. It would require one person leading the other out of the large bath and in their state of undress, neither seemed comfortable with that.

Harry led the way over to the steps, wading carefully through the water while Hermione was pulled along. A whirling sound could be heard and it was obvious that the bath was beginning to drain as is began lowering around them.

"No time like the present." Harry told her, trying to egg on an idea from the always active brain of hers. Hermione's brows furrowed as she forced herself to focus and in a snap summoned two large towels towards them.

"Just wrap it around you, we can dry them once we get out." She ordered, watching as his face conflicted between sheer relief and dissappointment. She couldn't help but feel the same way as she struggled to get the towel around her in the water. Harry waited patiently as she used both hands to wrap herself up as she had more to cover as the water drained around them.

"I'm going to need your help, so don't freak out." He told her as he submerged his towel in the water.

Hermione stared at an etching on the wall as he pulled her hand under water with his and her arm grazed his chest. When he finally got himself wrapped up, he led the way out of the bath, feeling horribly embarrassed and foolish as he dripped all over the marble floor. Hermione looked no better, thoroughly annoyed with the water soaked towel that threatened to drag down in her slippery grip.

They stared at one another for a moment, both taking in the dripping attire they had donned and burst out laughing. Hermione's hair was a mess around her and Harry's seemed to be happy with the "every direction" look. As their laughs died down, they carefully walked towards their wands, each muttering a drying charm on their towels, feeling instantly better at the warmth that surrounded them once they were no longer wrapped up in a wet cloth.

"Well, we survived our first bath." Hermione told him, earning a nod of agreement from her best friend. He looked a lot less silly now that the towel that wrapped around his waist was clean and dry and she felt her stomach flutter at the look of him. She told herself that it was from her inexperience with the opposite sex that continued these spurts of attraction (not that she would deny that Harry was attractive).

"Two galleons says there's a Howler waiting for us outside."

"It's ridiculous how clean I feel right now."

Harry nodded in agreement and yelled out "HA" the second he saw the familiar looking red envelope waiting atop their pillow. She rolled her eyes and contemplated whether or not she should just cast a strong Incendio on the innocent looking envelope. She was too excited to go back to the room they had arrived in earlier that afternoon to worry about what Ron wanted to fuss about now.

"Double or nothing says it's from Ginny." Harry told her, his last words coming back to haunt him as he thought of how truly upset his best friend and girlfriend must be. Hermione narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"I'll take that bet." She told him smugly, putting her wand in her pocket as she said so. When he raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, she shrugged her shoulders and smirked.

"There's no way it's from Ginny; she's much smarter than that."

Harry looked at her curiously as he levitated the envelope away from the pillow and settled comfortably atop the cot.

"Is that a backward way of saying that Ron is stupid or that Ginny is sneaky?" He asked, earning a slight scoff in return.

"I didn't mean it that way but at the moment Ron is being rather stupid." Harry grinned a little at the comment. It reminded him of how frank Hermione was about their redheaded friend before she started dating him.

"I meant that Ginny is smart enough to let you grow anxious over her reaction to what you said. Ron on the other hand is definitely not one to spare anyone his feelings." She told him bitterly, remembering once more how angry she was about her current situation.

Harry shook his head at the sneakiness of the women he surrounded himself with and wondered briefly if he or any man would ever be able to keep up with any of them.

"I'm sure you'd do the same thing as Ginny then?" He asked her accusingly, earning a wiry grin from his best friend that made him laugh.

"No, I'm sure I would've attacked you before you left the house." She told him honestly, causing him to remember an incident not too long ago with a dangerous flock of birds. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that he would never even attempt to say such a ending statement to the woman next to him - for he valued his life too much.

"Shall we open it?" He asked, waiting until she sat comfortably next to him on the cot before tapping the envelope carefully.

They watched as it came to life before them, fluttering in the air for a moment and spinning before it found it's target. The Howler seemed to zoom in on it's targets and came in close to their face.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" The voice came in so loud that Hermione's touched her ears gingerly at the sound. The Howler paused long enough for them roll their eyes at one another before continuing.

"YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE THAT ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, HARRY, THAT THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BEST MATE AND THEN YOU TELL ME YOU'RE OFF TO HAVE A BATH WITH MY GIRLFRIEND! AND YOU SAY IT IN FRONT OF MY SISTER - WHO IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" The angry piece of mail reared back as it imitated the sound of someone taking in a heaving a large breath. It moved away from Harry and zoned in on Hermione this time, who looked rather deadly.

"Hermione-" Harry was pleased that his 'best friend' had the sense not to scream at the girl next to him as he knew there would be no saving him then. The voice coming from the envelope was angry and strained as if Ron was trying his best to keep calm.

"I think it's best that you and Harry stay here at the Burrow. Mum has already agreed to make up your room and I don't want any arguments. I'm putting my foot down here. You both need to straighten out your priorities." The last sentence was carried out more like an angry hiss and Hermione merely raised an eyebrow at the tone of voice.

"And Harry-" They were both surprised to hear Ginny's calm tone.

"Please don't think that last comment of yours will be overlooked."

There was no evil undertone, no other threat and no angry words left to be said as the envelope shot into the air and sliced up into tiny pieces, falling over them like tossed confetti.

They sat in silence for a while, both unsure of what should be said at that moment. Harry wondered if anyone else in the castle had heard the message that they had been sent and was infinitely glad that there were no students in the school. He debated whether or not he should go to the Burrow and strangle Ron with his bare hands or with magic.

Hermione on the other hand looked positively menacing as she stared at the pieces that fell into her lap. She was tapping her wand slowly against her knee and Harry knew that the saying "if looks could kill, you'd be dead" was definitely true. He wouldn't have minded strangling the redhead at the moment while he contemplated Ginny's parting shot at him. He hated the fact that she thought she could scare him into a corner and briefly wished that she could be a bit more like Hermione in that sense.

He turned once more to Hermione and watched as she sat up straight, looking quite lost in her thoughts. A part of him waited for her to start planning their revenge while the other became irrationally worried for the safety of his "best friend"; people always seemed to forget that Hermione blackmailed a well known journalist and trapped her in a jar successfully at the age of fourteen (if that wasn't Slytherin worthy, he wasn't sure what was).

The expression on her face went from seething to a simple frown and he watched, rather confused, as she closed her eyes and let out an almost painful sort of sigh.

"I think mine and Ronald's relationship just ended." She said quietly.

The anger in her eyes had disappeared and instead of being upset, she look tired again. It was as if she had been carrying a heavy weight on her shoulders that finally released as she said those words. Saying it aloud made it seem like she was walking on concrete rather than quicksand, and while it made her angry, worried and sad all at once - it felt right.

She started worrying instantly about how she would break the news to him and how badly he would take it. While she reasoned with herself that they would eventually return to being friends, a small part of her broke at the idea that he would banish her from his life. Her breath grew shaky at the thought but when her heartbeat stopped pounding in her ears, she told herself that losing him as a friend was not enough of a reason to drag on their unhealthy relationship.

Harry, however, was not content with logical reasoning. He felt as if his ears were hot and his throat were dry at the simple statement. He imagined Ron lashing out at him and Hermione being kicked out of the Weasley's circle. He imagined the friendship that had steeled itself through war, torture and death would fall to pieces over heartbreak and Ron's pride and it made him angrier than he had ever been.

"What do you mean, 'it's just ended'?" Harry asked suddenly, almost venomously. Hermione turned to him, taken aback by his tone.

"I mean that I can't do this anymore. You heard him, Harry. 'I don't want any arguments' and 'you need to straighten out your priorities.' Were you not just sitting there while he yelled at you the way he did? You, his best mate-"

"Exactly! I AM his best mate, that's why I can't believe you're just going to make a decision like that! You two have only been together for three months and you're just going to quit on him? He's your best friend too! Or does that not matter?" He had slipped off the cot in the middle of his interruption and stood stiffly in front of her, glaring at her with all he had.

Hermione blinked at him in a sort of blank shock before slipping off the cot herself and standing her ground.

"I'm not quitting on anything, Harry! It's not working and you know it! You aren't as blind as you pretend to be, otherwise you wouldn't have come into the room the day we got glued together. You know how he's been, you know that we're not right for each other." She accused him.

Harry shook his head, denying her claim and snapping back.

"You knew how he was when you started dating! You knew how he gets and you both started this up anyway, always making up excuses for one another! Now you're going to ruin everything because you both don't know how to act like adults and put me in the middle as usual! He's going to blame me for you breaking up with him, just like he blamed me that night in the tent, that's the only reason why you're going to do it now."

"How dare you? How dare you accuse me of using you that way? I'm just being honest with myself, Harry, I don't love Ron like that anymore and if he loved me he wouldn't be acting this way! He wouldn't have tried to glue me to the floor in order to force me to stay with him and you know it! If anyone is making excuses for Ron, it's YOU!" She screamed, sparks shooting out of her wand.

There was a long silence between the two as they glared at one another as if they were old enemies rather than old friends.

"You think you're always right. Maybe if you weren't such a stuck up know-it-all you could keep your relationship afloat." Harry eyes widened immediately after the words spilled out of his mouth and he instantly regretted saying it.

It looked as if he'd physically slapped her and it reminded him terribly of how wounded she looked after his wand had accidentally snapped during their hunt for the horcruxes. The sound of her dropping her wand seemed to echo throughout the room and he swore she was a second away from crying. It was as if all of the sudden he realized everything he had said and wanted nothing more than to rewind the past few minutes.

Hermione took a deep breath and shook her head, quickly wiping an angry tear that had pushed it's way out against her wishes. She had expected him to be agreeable with her, to tell her that she was doing the right thing for their friendship. A large part of her heart broke at his staunch support for Ron and although she told herself that she was imagining it, a part of her felt almost disappointed and empty that he wanted them to stay together. It confused her more than ever to feel as if he were betraying her by wanting her to stay with Ron and it made her even angrier.

"Hermione, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry." He told her, feeling a stab in his gut as he reached out to her and was pushed away.

The worst part was that he did agree with her, he never liked Ron and Hermione together, he always thought Ron was too possessive. There had even been a moment, even if it were still small and distant, that he felt a glimmer of happiness at her announcement. What the fucking hell is wrong with me? He asked mentally, chastising himself. He watched as tears began to flow a little more freely and she hiccuped a little, turning away from him in shame.

"Hermione, please..." He said quietly, tugging on their connected hands gently. He watched her back stiffen at the touch and he had the sudden feeling that if it weren't for the fact that they were attached, she would have dissappeared; the idea made his stomach flip horribly.

"I always knew that you would pick him over me."

This time it was his turn to step back. Her voice was so dead and hurt that he knew that she truly believed it - and it cut him more than he thought possible. His mouth opened to contest but he found nothing good enough to say.

The two stood there in silence, angry, hurt and guilty and unable to look at one another until the sounds of Madame Pomfrey could be heard echoing up the empty staircases and towards the hospital wing.

For all the harsh words they'd passed between one another neither could find it in them to say anything more.

A/N: Alright, don't shoot. I know I ended this on a sad note but I truly believe that Harry would not take the news of their break up well. The potential to change everything that is safe and familiar (especially after a hellish war) is something I don't think Harry would be able to deal with automatically even with the idea of budding feelings for one half of the break up. I promise that it won't always be so angsty but I did feel this was necessary. Thank you for reading and please share your thoughts, whether they be arguments, constructive criticsm praise.

Also, I do apologize for the long wait but I was transitioning into a new housing arrangement. I plan to get back on track with my updates being every few days. And if possible, can my readers please let me know if these chapters are too long? Thanks again, Lyssa.