Prologue

A girl stood defiantly in front of a man, who was actually better described as less than a man, considering how he was almost killed by one of her best friends when he was only a year old. This “half-man� was feared by the entire wizarding world for wreaking havoc upon all that were against him. He was born a half-blood and given the name Tom Riddle, but he was more commonly known by his alias, Lord Voldemort.

The girl who stood in front of this icon of hatred was undoubtedly frightened, but nonetheless, she did not move. The look on her face showed that she was not going to move, at any cost.

This image haunted the boy who had become so close to her over this past year as a lump rose in his throat. This image and others kept playing on something like an old muggle film reel, except it was all in his mind. He felt that it was his fault that this had happened, and that maybe if he had done something different, then this would have never happened. Other painful memories of this fateful day flashed through his mind as he awkwardly stood in a room filled with other students who shared a similar pain. They had all met there to support her, and all of her friends. He felt that these students’ pain could not possibly match up to what he was feeling. He tried to conjure up the sound of her voice in his mind. This voice had belonged to the girl who had probably understood him even better than he understood himself. He felt that she was truly his soul mate, even though he had never believed in what had seemed like such a ridiculous subject. As he listened to her voice in his mind, he swiped at his eyes, warding off any tears that threatened to form there.

That special girl’s best friend came up behind the boy, touching his shoulder. He had turned around to see that her eyes were red, puffy, and swollen. Her cheeks were wet with fresh tears and she was slightly quivering. He noticed that in her hands, she was carrying a small, black, leather-bound journal in her hands.

“Yes?� the boy said to her.

“I think you should really see this,� she said softly as she handed him the notebook.

He opened it eagerly, as if it would give him some way to bring her to him. On the left pages were one type of hand writing, but on the right was a completely different style. He noticed immediately that the right side was in her hand writing. He ran a finger across the dry black ink and the pale yellow page.

“This was hers, wasn’t it,� he said. It was more of a statement than a question.

The girl nodded sadly.

“Then whose hand writing is this?� he asked pointing at the left page.

“Mine,� she said, which surprised him a bit. “We used to share it, I assume, except we didn’t know we were at the time.�

“So that’s how you found this?� he asked.

She nodded again. “It used to appear blank, but when I broke the spell that protected my entries, it revealed hers as well.�

He bit his lip and breathed deeply. He had in his hand the object that could have possibly been her most precious possession. He felt a connection with her as he held it.

“I thought you might like to read it,� she said.

“Isn’t that kind of invading her privacy?� he asked, hesitant to read her innermost thoughts.

The girl smiled sadly. “It has some pretty nice stuff about you in there. Besides, I’m sure she would want to share this with you.�

The boy took another deep breath as he flipped to the page where it was first written in, and began to read, not yet knowing how immensely closer this would make him feel to her…

Chapter I: Anxious In A Good Way?

The dead leaves rustled in a mass of orange, red, yellow, and brown through the school grounds marking my sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m in the house Gryffindor with my two best friends Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. They can be bloody annoying at times, but as they say: “Boys will be boys.�

I’m not sure as to who ‘they’ are, but as for me, well, my name is Hermione Granger. I am fifteen years old, and will be turning sixteen later this September. I come from a muggle family-my mum and dad are both dentists-and that means that I have to deal with jerk-offs like Malfoy who come from wizarding families (purebloods) that don’t believe that muggle-borns should be accepted into the magical world. Of course, most ‘purebloods’ aren’t like that. Ron comes from a wizarding family and he is the exact opposite of Draco. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d be without Ron and Harry. People are convinced I fancy Ron though, which is a great laugh on my part. I’m not sure how to get that ridiculous idea out of their minds. As for whom I do fancy, that would be Seamus Finnigan, believe it or not. Once you get to know him, you can see how funny, sweet, and friendly he is. No one knows about this but me though, so I’m keeping it on the down-low in this little notebook. And hiding it well.

Right now I am sitting under an oak tree by the lake. It’s quite chilly outside; it’s those autumn breezes that are starting in. We’re about to leave for Hogsmeade and Harry and Ron are playing chess at the next tree, and as for myself, my ink bottle is running low. These are the exact spots we were in yesterday as well, only I was finishing my Charms essay so that I could turn it in early. Of course, I expect Ron and Harry to start the day before it’s due as usual. They were playing chess yesterday too:


“Hey, Hermione! Come over here!�

“Yes? What do you want Harry?�

“Which piece should I move? Looks like Ron’s got me trapped.�

“I dunno, Harry. I’m not a chess person.�

“Well, you’re clever enough.� He motioned me closer. “Just look and see if you can spot a move for me, okay?�

I pretended to squint and thoughtfully placed my hand on the side of my head. I glanced over at Harry whose face was less than two inches away from mine studying the board carefully.


I resisted the temptation to laugh out loud. It was hilarious how sometimes Ron and Harry take things so seriously. And they tell me to live a little. Spare me.


“Sorry Harry, but I don’t see anything.�

He then moved his bishop with a small attempt at blocking his king. Sadly this didn’t work out.

“Check mate!�

“Oh, shut up Ron.�

“What did I do? It’s not my bloody fault you’re such a sore loser.�

“I am not a sore loser, you’re a smug winner is what.�

“I am not smug.�

“Yes you are.�

“I only said two bloody words!�

Seamus walked up and said exactly what I was going to say.

“Shut up both of you.�

He turned to me and winked.

“Hullo Hermione.�

I blushed a little.

“Hi Seamus.�

Ron took his angry glare away from Harry.

“What d’you want!?�

“Geez Ron, Seamus isn’t Draco, so stop treating him that way.�

“Thanks Hermione.� He smiled at me. “Anyways, I wanted to ask if you caught what day our next Hogsmeade trip is.�

“Friday…yes, Friday’s tomorrow…Tomorrow then.� I said, practically babbling.

“Great, thanks!�

Seamus waved then went back to Dean.

Harry then eyed me curiously.

“What was that about?�

“What?�

“You know…you were acting funny…what’s wrong?�

“Oh, that was nothing…I just lost my train of thought.�

“Oh.�

“Well, see you at dinner…Or whenever you want to ask me for chess help.�

“Okay. I don’t think I’d fancy another chess game though.� He turned back to Ron.


I walked back to where I was sitting and then slumped back under the gnarled tree. I picked up my black raven feather quill and began to scratch away on my parchment, continuing my Charms essay. I had done a good foot and a half, when someone came up from behind me.


“Hey Hermione.� A male voice. I turned around to see Seamus leaning against the tree, propped up with one arm. Even under the shade of the tree, the sun somehow reflected his clear, ice blue eyes. God, those things are gorgeous...

My heart leaped to my throat.

“Oh, hey Seamus. Where’s Dean?�

“He’s with Lavender at the library. They’re together now, you know, Dean asked her to be his girlfriend on the train coming here.�

“Really? That’s great, I never really thought of them together that way, but…wow…I think they’ll be good for each other.�

“I think so too…Whatcha writing?�

“Oh, I’m writing the Charms essay that Professor Flitwick gave us yesterday.�

“Are you serious?� He laughed. “But that thing’s not due for another month!�

“I know that, but I’d really rather get it done now.�

“What is your motivation?�

I shrugged.

“Come to think of it…I don’t think I have any, except the fear of failing…But fear would be considered a motivator…so there you go: fear is my motivator.�

“Ah.�

He grabbed my quill and touched the tip of my nose with the feather.

“You know what, Miss Hermione Granger? I think I have just been motivated to do my homework tonight.�

I laughed.

“And why is that?�

“Because you are my new-found motivation.�

A smile crept onto my face.

“I’m flattered.�

“You should be.�

He handed me my quill back, then ruffled his brown-blonde hair with his hand.

“Actually, Hermione, I came over here to ask you a question.�

“Okay, shoot.�

He slumped down beside me.

“I was wondering if you were planning on going to Hogsmeade tomorrow.�

I nodded.

“Yeah, I am.�

“I was also wondering if, well, if you wanted to go with me.�

Of course I’d go with him! …but I pretended to think about it for ‘dramatic effect,’ then shrugged with a smile.

“Sure, why not.�

He beamed at me, and I could see his straight pearly white teeth gleam. Wow, those teeth are beautiful. Honestly, it’s not that I fancy teeth or anything, you just tend to notice these things when both your parents are dentists.

“Great! I’ll meet you outside tomorrow morning.�

He stood up from beside me then started off to the castle. Halfway there, he turned around and waved.

“Bye!� I called.


Wow. Just wow. After he had gone into the castle, I gathered my stuff together and got up as well.


“Harry, Ron! I’m gonna be going inside, so I’ll catch up with you two later, okay?�

“All right,� Harry said waving me off. Despite what he said, him and Ron were locked in another ‘intense’ chess match.

I practically skipped to the castle. I had to find Ginny. She just had to hear this. I found her in the Gryffindor Common Room talking with a few other fifth year girls. I pried her away because this couldn’t wait.


“Geez, Hermione. No need to attack me, I’m only your friend.� She rolled her eyes and laughed. “So what’s up? You look pretty anxious.�

“Yeah, but it’s anxious in a good way. Guess what?�

“….What...-no, I think I’ll guess first.� She was doing this on purpose. Sometimes she makes me want to strangle her. “Snape died? No…that can’t be it, or the whole school would be celebrating… You got a good grade? No…you always get good grades… You found money? …Wait, I don’t think money would make you this excited… Okay I give up… What?�

“Seamus asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade tomorrow!�

Ginny clapped her hands together.

“Hermione! That’s great! No wonder you look so flustered! Now, tell me exactly what happened!�

Like all teenage girls do, I told her every detail of our small conversation. With her adding her own comments and asking many questions, this lasted about an hour.

“Are you sure you’re not going as just friends?�

My heart fell a hundred stories. I forgot about that possibility.

“I-I dunno…How am I supposed to know what his intentions are?�

Ginny laughed it off.

“I doubt he’d go through that much trouble to ask you to go as friends.�

That was a little relief.


Just then, Harry and Ron entered the common room.


“Hey Hermione, hey Ginny,� he said happily.

I looked at him suspiciously.

“Lemme guess, you won the game?� I glanced over at Ron who was looking pretty glum.

“Yep.� He was beaming.

“Who’s the smug winner now?� Ron said nastily. He could become pretty emotional when it came to chess. He turned to look at me. “What did Seamus want from you Hermione?�

“First, it’s really none of your business, and second, it was about…nothing.�

“It didn’t look like nothing.�

“Bugger off Ron, or I’m telling Mom that you shouldn’t deserve that Chudley Cannon chess set you convinced her to get you for Christmas.� Ginny threatened

Ron sulked away.

“He’s never lost a chess match,� Ginny added, explaining Ron’s current attitude.

“Well it’s about high time he did. Glad I beat him. He’ll get over it by dinner.�

“Well, I’ll see you later then,� Ginny said going back to the group of friends I pried her away from.

“So Hermione, what did Seamus really talk to you about?�

I knew I could tell Harry. Harry was different from Ron, Harry was understandable and can understand what you go through, because he’s always been through worse.

“Seamus asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade tomorrow,� I grinned.

“Oh, erm, really? That’s great,� He didn’t sound too happy for me, but you win some you lose some.

“What’s the matter?�

“Oh-nothing,� he muttered.

“Really Harry…you know you can tell me anything, and that I can tell you anything.�

“Well, I thought you’d be going with us. It’ll be just me and Ron, and that’s not fun. Who’s going to tell us that we shouldn’t blow all our money at Zonko’s?�

I laughed.

“Okay, I’ll meet up with you two later then. Save a trip to the Three Broomsticks for me.�

“Anytime.�

“Let’s go down to dinner now.�

“Yeah, let’s…I’m starving.�


After dinner, I went up to bed early. Everyone else was in the common room playing Exploding Snap. As I crawled under the covers, I could hear small explosions coming from below. I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn’t. There were too many thoughts racing around my head for me to fall asleep. It’s just like how if you have too many people around you talking, it’s quite hard to concentrate. What if he doesn’t like me? What if he thinks I’m a know-it-all like many people do? Will he think I’m too bossy? Maybe I should just cut it off with him and stay with Harry and Ron. But if I do that, Seamus definitely won't like me. Should I stay or go? Go, probably…


I’m feeling anxious all right, but I’m not too sure if it’s really anxious in a good way.

Chapter II: Chocolate Hearts

I woke up early Friday morning because I had gone to sleep early the night before. Lavender and Parvati were still asleep, of course, because they were downstairs with the majority of the Gryffindor fifth, sixth, and seventh years playing numerous rounds of Exploding Snap. I hopped out of bed and slipped my robes on. I went down to the Great Hall for breakfast barefoot, which turned out to be not such a bright idea. Most of the floors in the castle are stone. My feet were numb with the cold by the time I got downstairs.

There was hardly anyone in the Great Hall, let alone at the Gryffindor table. I took a seat by myself and grabbed a plain bagel. Munching on it, I thought about the Hogsmeade trip planned for today. It was only a few hours away, and I could hardly wait. First Hogsmeade trip of the year, and to top it off by going with Seamus. I sipped my mug of hot chocolate. I could just tell it was going to be a great day. I stuffed a few forkfuls of scrambled eggs in my mouth, and then rushed back up to the Gryffindor Tower to grab my cloak…or at least my shoes; the ground was murder on my feet. As I quickly walked up the stairs, I looked down at my feet partly to make sure they were still there. Of course they were there; I just couldn’t feel them at all. Just then I collided with someone who was going down the stairs. I looked up to see Seamus looking a bit startled from his daze.


“Oh, I’m sorry,�

“No need to say sorry, Hermione. I wasn’t paying attention.�

“Well neither was I.�

“Okay, it’s both our faults.� He grinned. “Have you had breakfast all ready?�

“Yep. I’m getting my cloak, actually. And my shoes,� I added.

He looked down at my feet, and then up at me again. “Christ, Hermione! You must be freezing!�

“You’ve got that right.�

“I’d hate to keep you any longer. See you in a few hours!� He stepped off to the side.

I laughed. “Thanks, see you later.�


I raced up the rest of the flights of stairs, reaching the Portrait of the Fat Lady. After saying this month’s password (Ivory wood), the portrait opened up, and I climbed through.

There were many Gryffindors milling around the common room. Some were putting on their cloaks, some chatting with their friends, and some were slipping on their shoes and socks on the scarlet and gold sofas and armchairs. I went up to the girls’ dormitory and quickly pulled my socks and shoes on. I grabbed my cloak and went back down to the common room. I searched around for Harry and Ron, but couldn’t find them, even after a few minutes of asking around. Instead I found Ginny.


“Morning!� I said brightly fastening my cloak.

“Morning,� she replied stifling a yawn. “You’re in quite a good mood.�

I grinned sheepishly.

“You’re also more awake than ninety-five percent of this room,� she noted as she stuffed a few coins in her pocket.

“I woke up ages ago.�

“Oh yes, that’s right, you weren’t playing Exploding Snap last night. Let’s go to breakfast then.�

“I’ve just been down there.�

“Great, well you’re coming with me anyways,� she said pulling my arm.

“All right, all right.�

Ginny grabbed her wand from the table.

“Excited?�

“About what?�

“The Hogsmeade trip.�

“A little.�

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, a lot, but who says I can’t be?�

“No one.�

“True. Do you want to meet up with me, Harry, and Ron later? We’re going for a butterbeer or two at the Three Broomsticks.�

“Sure. I’ll be with a few of my friends. What time should I catch up with you?�

“One thirty, probably. That’s the time I’m going, at least,� I said as we entered the Great Hall.

“Okay.�

“So that’s where Harry and Ron were,� I said spotting them at the Gryffindor table. “That’s funny, I don’t remember passing them on the way up.�

I sat down next to Harry and Ginny plopped down next to her brother.

“G’ morning,� Ron said sleepily. “This is just wrong. I should still be in my bed right now.�

“Well you would be more awake if you hadn’t insisted on nine extra rounds of Exploding Snap last night,� Harry said as he downed his goblet of pumpkin juice. “Morning Hermione, morning Ginny.�

“Morning,� Ginny said as she turned to talk with some of her friends that had just sat down.

“Hello,� I said.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?� Harry asked me curiously.

“No, I’ve all ready had breakfast.�

“Oh, all right.�

“You know,� Ron said. “I’ve been in a right state with all this homework we’ve been getting. I’ll probably crack any day know.�

“You’ve got that right, mate,� Harry said spreading jam on his toast.

“It isn’t as bad as last year when we had to do our O.W.L.s,� I pointed out. “It’s only bound to get worse, because our N.E.W.T.s are only next year.�

“Don’t remind me,� Ron said shuddering.


The rest of breakfast for me was silent. Harry and Dean were trying to explain soccer to Ron, who still was confused and thought the game was pointless. I skimmed through the Daily Prophet, reading a few articles here and there. After I was finished with the paper, Harry came up to me.


“Hey, Hermione, ready to go out? It’s almost time to leave.�

I put down the paper.

“All right,� I said getting up.


I walked out to the Entrance Hall with Harry and Ron, along with other students filing out of the Great Hall. I spotted Seamus near the great oak doors. We he caught sight of me; he grinned and beckoned me over. I smiled back and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I tapped Harry’s elbow and he turned around. He saw Seamus and immediately understood.


“All right Hermione, catch up with us later at the Three Broomsticks, okay?� he smiled.

I nodded. “All right.�

“And don’t miss us too terribly,� he whispered with a grin.

“I won’t,� I said grinning back. I turned around then went off to meet with Seamus.

“Hey, where’s Hermione going?� I heard Ron ask after I walked off. I smiled to myself. Harry was probably to tell him, but there was nothing I could really do.


I made my way through a crowd of students to Seamus, who was grinning broadly. His light brown hair was tousled; in an organized mess. His clear blue eyes looked down at me fondly, and to my surprise and amusement, a small group of fifth years looked on jealously. It was no secret that Seamus was becoming the next Cedric. Whoops, maybe I shouldn’t have used him as an example…we all miss him.


“Hullo Hermione.�

“Hey Seamus.�

Professor McGonagall got to the front of the group and began to lead us to Hogsmeade.

“Sleep well?� he asked as we walked past the Quidditch pitch.

“Yep,� I said.

“That’s good,� he said as he kicked some pebbles down the path. “I didn’t sleep that well myself, though.�

“And why is that?�

“Well, I promised you that I’d do my homework, didn’t I?� he said as he smiled. “I don’t break promises. I spent last night doing my homework instead of playing Exploding Snap.�

“Well done. A butterbeer on me, for being such a fine student.�

“Excellent! You’re wonderful Hermione,� he said beaming.

It was only a butterbeer. But then again, I’m not used to anyone fawning over me, so I’m thinking this is a good thing.

“Glad you agree.�


We had reached Hogsmeade shortly after. The crowd of students began to split and go their separate ways. I caught a quick glimpse of Harry, who saw me as well, and beamed. I gave a small wave and mouthed “hi.� They then disappeared into Zonko’s, and Seamus led me into Honeydukes. I took a deep breath and breathed in the strong, warm smell of Honeydukes chocolate. The small sweetshop was packed with students, and a rainbow of different colored sweets shone from the shelves. The shelf in front of me was filled with neat rows of shimmering pink coconut ice and boxes of exploding bon bons. We then moved to the next wall of shelves labeled “Unusual Tastes.� I was faced with jars and jars of Acid Pops, Cockroach Clusters, and other strange sweets.


“I’ve never taken a liking to Acid Pops,� Seamus said off-handedly. “Horrible accident when I was younger.� He laughed.

“I’ve never tried them. Don’t think I ever will, either.�

“Good choice.�

“Do you think Malfoy would notice if I slipped one or two of these in his dinner?� he said holding up a Cockroach Cluster.

“Dunno,� I said laughing. “If you did, you’d be doing all of the Gryffindors a favor.�

“The look on his face would be priceless.�

“Yeah, a real Kodak moment.�

“A what?�

“Nothing,� I said. Living a muggle childhood, I always forget that most of the students don’t have the faintest idea what I’m talking when I talk about that stuff.

“Ah, well,� he said setting down the Cockroach Cluster.


We then came across a few racks filled to the brim with Pepper Imps, Fizzing Whizbees, Ice Mice, and many, many other interesting candies. Picking out a few, we went to pay at the counter. Seamus bought a handful of brightly colored toffees, a box of Sugar Quills, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, and a few levitating sherbet balls. I got a bag of Bertie Bott’s, a slab of Honeydukes chocolate, Toothflossing Stringmints, and a few chocolate frogs. We walked outside and the little bells on the door rung. A chill breeze blew leaves across the path. Seamus led me up on top of the hill that the Shrieking Shack was built on, and to my surprise, he plopped down onto the lawn.


“Are you going to stand there and look at me like I’m a nutter, or are you going to sit down?� Seamus said jokingly.

I sat down on the cool grass. From here I saw most of Hogsmeade; all the small shops and things.

“Happy?� I said.

“Ecstatic.�

I pulled out my bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.

“Want one?� I offered.

He eyed them cautiously. “Only if you go first.�

“Fine scaredy-cat. I’ll find a red one. They are the least-dangerous.�

I fished out a red bean and bit off half. Eww, it was blood-flavored! I kept a straight face and smiled.

“Strawberry,� I said as I gave him the other half. I am such a good liar.

He popped it into his mouth and grimaced.

“You little…� he said threateningly as he chucked a suspicious looking tan bean at me. “Eat it,� he commanded, laughing.

I nibbled off a bit of the end cautiously and grinned. Nothing to worry about, it was coffee-flavored.

“Coffee,� I proclaimed, looking satisfied.

“You got lucky.�

This game went on for a surprisingly long time, until we neared the bottom of my Bertie Bott’s bag.

“At least you still have plenty of candy,� Seamus said referring to the sweets I bought at Honeydukes.

“Ah, I dunno. The Toothflossing Stringmints are for my mum and dad, the chocolate frogs are for Ron, and the chocolate I’m sharing between me, Harry, and Ginny.�

“That’s a shame. Everyone needs a little candy now and then.� He took out a small gold box from his pocket, tied in a neat little red bow. “Here, this is for you,� he said as he placed it in my hands.

I untied the bow and lifted the lid of the box. Inside was a heart carved from dark chocolate. My heart leaped into my throat again. That was so sweet.

“Th-thanks,� I said. “Now I have some chocolate to save for later,� I said, regaining composure. I smiled at him.

“Anytime,� he said, looking glad that I liked his little present. “I secretly bought it at Honeydukes when you weren’t looking.� He grinned.

“Would you like to go to the Three Broomsticks?� I asked. “I do owe you that butterbeer.�

“That’d be splendid.�

As we set off for the Three Broomsticks, he took my hand in his, which was unexpectedly warm. He looked at me and smiled. I could faint.


We entered the lively tavern filled with students, and sat down at a table. I ordered butterbeers for both of us and talked for a while. I soon looked up at the clock and saw that it was nearly two-thirty.


“I said I’d be meeting Harry and Ron right about now,� I said looking back at him.

“No problem,� he said getting up. “I’m supposed to meet Dean around this time anyways. See you later, Hermione,� he said grinning, and left the Three Broomsticks.


I waved, paid the bill, and saw Harry, Ginny, and Ron waving at me from a large table across the room. The table was packed with a load of Gryffindors, and I found a seat next to Neville and Ginny, and across from Harry.


“Have fun?� asked Ginny.

“Yeah, it was okay,� I said, understating it.

“That’s good,� Harry said as he downed the rest of the butterbeer in his bottle. “We spent most of the time at Zonko’s. We only came here about ten minutes ago.�


We spent the rest of our time there in the Three Broomsticks until it was time to leave. I had all ready spilt my slab of chocolate with Harry and Ginny, and I gave the chocolate frogs to Ron. We got up, and left for the school. While we were walking Harry said he felt bad about eating most of my sweets. You, know, he is a lot like Seamus. Er, rather, Seamus is a lot like Harry? Oh well.


“Thanks for the chocolate, Hermione,� Harry said as we were walking back to school. “But sorry that I ate most of it.� He grinned sheepishly.

“No, that’s all right.� I took out the little gold box with the chocolate heart. “Look what Seamus gave me,� I said showing it to him.

“Wow, that was…err…nice of him,� Harry said awkwardly.

“He’s really sweet,� I said, gushing. I stopped at the look on Harry’s face. For a second there, I could’ve sworn I saw something that looked remarkably like…hurt? “But he’s nothing compared to you,� I added, playfully punching in the arm.

He grinned.

“Well, I’ve got to show Ginny, see you at dinner, Harry!�

“Bye, Hermione.�


I went off and found Ginny with some of her other friends. I showed her the gift, and this time, I didn’t have to limit my gushing. She was really happy for me. Harry probably didn’t understand because he’s a boy.

We finally reached the castle, and after dinner, I went off to bed. Setting the box on my lamp table, I slipped under the covers. I slept nicely, and strangely, I had dreams of chocolate hearts.

Chapter III: Invisible Ink

It’s almost been a week since the Hogsmeade trip and I’ve barely spoken to Seamus since then. I have a lot of different classes from him, and a lot of other Gryffindors as well, is mostly why. He is in my N.E.W.T. Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense against the Dark Arts classes, but I’m always with Harry and Ron. Ah well, I know I’ll see him eventually.

Yesterday, after having a delicious dinner of roast beef and honey ham in the Great Hall, the students at the Great Hall just laid back and enjoyed each others’ presence. After an hour, Professor Dumbledore dismissed us all to our dormitories. We all got up to leave, when I felt someone tap me sharply on the shoulder. To my surprise, I turned around to see Professor McGonagall forming a thin line with her mouth. Harry and Ron stopped as well when they didn’t see me next to them.


“Potter, Granger, Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you in his office. Weasley, lead these students up to the common room,� she said sternly.


Ron nodded slightly, and gave me and Harry a curious stare. Had we done something wrong? I had only been to Dumbledore’s office once before, and the prospect of going again made me jittery. I glanced at Harry to try and read his expression, which I couldn’t translate. Catching me looking at him, he gave me an encouraging smile, which made some of my worry vanish. If Harry wasn’t worried, then I shouldn’t fret too much either, right? Harry and I walked side by side with Professor McGonagall a few footsteps ahead. We went up a flight of stairs and then stopped in front of two gruesome-looking stone gargoyles.


“Licorice wand,� Professor McGonagall stated clearly.

The stone gargoyles jumped out of the way revealing a shiny oak door. I began to fret again.

“There’s nothing to worry about,� Harry whispered sideways to me. Once again, Harry managed to somewhat lift my subtle feeling of dread. We walked up a few steps and reached another door. Professor McGonagall rapped on it smartly, then a voice from inside said,

“Come in.�

Professor McGonagall opened the door for us and we walked inside. A large red bird that I immediately recognized as a phoenix squawked loudly.

“Good to see you too, Fawkes,� I heard Harry mutter fondly.

“Have a seat!� Dumbledore said merrily. He was sitting at his desk in a large, comfortable-looking, leather chair. Harry and I each took seats on maroon velvet armchairs positioned in front of his cluttered desk. Professor McGonagall left the room, and Dumbledore’s silvery eyes settled on us.

“Do you two have any idea why you are here?�

“Er…� I began.

“No, we don’t,� Harry said quite plainly.

“I wouldn’t expect you to. I called both of you up here because I would find it useful if you, Ms. Granger, would continue to be willing to organize, and you, Mr. Potter, would continue to teach the, shall we say, the Defense Against the Dark Arts League. Though you could still call it Dumbledore’s Army if you prefer,� he said as his eyes twinkled. “Anyway, since Dolores left, I am again allowed to do what I see fit for this school, and I think that our students would do well as to practice the Defense Against the Dark Arts regularly.�

“Sir, now that Professor Lupin has returned, Harry being a teacher isn’t exactly… necessary, is it?�

“If we wish to protect ourselves against Lord Voldemort, we will need more that one class every few days to protect ourselves. Professor Lupin cannot possibly do this as well, so I am asking if you would be able to do this for our students.�

“Of course,� Harry said. “I mean, we will need all the help we can get in the Final Battle.�

I shivered. Thinking about it made my knees shake and my legs wobble, even though I was sitting down. To think that either Harry or Voldemort must die at the hands of the other…and Voldemort is a very powerful dark wizard…I’m scared for Harry. I mean, what if he…dies? He is my best friend and…I just don’t want to think about losing him.

“Wonderful,� Dumbledore said beaming. “I’m sure everyone will be eager to get started. Of course, you may still use the Room of Requirement for your meetings, and I will ask the House Heads to put up a sign-up sheet on each of the bulletin boards in the common rooms. You may get several new members. You will feel much more freedom with this, now that it is not hidden. If you do happen to need help with anything, I am sure either Professor Lupin or myself will be happy to attend to it.�

“Okay, I’ll get this going as soon as I can. Oh yeah, thanks for lifting my lifetime banishment from quidditch, Professor.�

“Oh don’t worry,� Professor Dumbledore said winking. “I will make sure everyone disregards anything Dolores Umbridge did while she was at this school. I’ll be looking towards to the first game next month. I would also like to say thank you to both of you for willing to get this started again, and especially to you, Hermione, because this was all your idea.�

I felt my face heat up.

“I’ll let you go to your dormitories now,� he said getting up. “Teacher’s meeting soon.� He pointed his wand at the center of the office and conjured up a long, gleaming wood table.

“Good night,� we said as we closed his door quietly. As soon as we passed the stone gargoyles, I said,

“Wow, the D.A.! I thought we had gotten in trouble. I can’t wait to start.�

“Me too, I was beginning to miss teaching those lessons. When do you think we should have the next meeting?�

“Well tomorrow is Wednesday…Gryffindors have quidditch practice on Saturday, Hufflepuffs on Monday, Ravenclaws on Tuesday, and…do you think that any Slytherins will actually join? Their practice is on Thursdays, mostly.�

“We might, so that leaves Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays open.�

“Does Friday sound good to you?�

“Should be. Hermione, d’you think you can help me think of what we should go over on the first meeting?�

“Probably a review of everything we did last year. That might be helpful.�

“Good idea and since we’ll have some new members, we can help them out too and make them feel welcome.�

“Okay. When we get back upstairs I need to work on my Potions paper.�

“But we only got that today!�

“Procrastinating-“

“-will get you no where, Harry,� he finished with a sad sort of grin. “Fine. Ron and I have to do some charts for Divination. They’re due tomorrow.�

“Go figure.�

“I can’t help it if we can’t all be like you, Hermione.�

“What is that supposed to mean?�

“We all can’t be smart, pleasant, and caring.�

I looked over at him.

“But just because you’re lazy doesn’t mean you aren’t clever, Harry. And of course you are caring and nice!�

His eyes clouded over for a moment and he stopped in front of the portrait hole.
“It’s just…I…I dunno…Ivory wood,� he said climbing through.

I climbed in as well.
“What are you talking about Harry?�

He grinned and then rubbed my head so that my hair was messy.

“It’s nothing. Don’t you have a Potions paper to do?�

“Hey!� I said scowling. I began to laugh. “Yes, I think I’m going to do it upstairs though.�

“G’night, then.�

“Night.�

I went upstairs and took out a few of my books, a bottle of green ink, and my raven-feather quill that Mum got me from Diagon Alley. I wrote a good eight inches before I fell asleep writing.

When I woke up the next morning, my quill and books were put away nicely. I suspect Lavender and Parvati did this for me. They can actually be nice sometimes…when they’re not gossiping about people, that is. I grabbed my book bag and stuffed my Transfiguration and my Arithmacy books in it for today. I then changed my robes and set off for the Great Hall. While I was walking down a flight of steps, I opened my Transfiguration book to read up on the right way to flick your wand when turning a cat into a small jewelry box. A piece of parchment slipped out a fluttered to my feet. I bent down and picked it up. It was a little torn, and was scrawled hastily in blue ink.


Hermione,

Meet me outside of the Great Hall after breakfast. I have something to show you, but it’s a surprise. Can’t wait to see you,

-Seamus


My heart began to beat quickly. A surprise? I wonder what that would be…and I also wonder how he got that note in my book…its been upstairs with me the whole night. Odd, I’ll have to ask about that. I wrung my hands on my robes as I continued down to the Great Hall. Was it a good surprise or a bad one? Well I was about to find out after breakfast. I got down to the Great Hall and walked over to the Gryffindor table. Spotting Harry and Ron, I set down my schoolbag and sat down across from them, and next to Lavender and Parvati who were giggling and pouring over the super-glossy pages of ‘Teen Witch-Weekly.’

“Hi Harry. Morning Ron.�

“Hey Hermione,� Harry said eating a bowl of oatmeal.

“Morning Hermione,� Ron replied as he gulped down some orange juice.

Ron was telling Harry about the Chudley Cannon’s winning streak. I was reading up on the spell for Transfiguration when Lavender nudged me. I glanced at her, and saw that Parvati had left the table.

“Did you get the note?� Lavender asked curiously.

“Yes…that was you?�

“Yes and no,� she said closing the magazine. “We put it in your book, but Seamus wrote it and told us to give it to you. We figured that a book would be the quickest way you would find it.�

“You were right about that part. Er…thanks.�

“So what do you think your surprise is?�

“You read my note?�

“Of course I did! What did you expect? I’m too curious to be trusted,� she said as she giggled.

I sighed heavily and turned a page in my book.

“I really don’t want to talk about it right now,� I said lowering my eyes to the book.

“All right,� Lavender said disappointedly.

When I looked back, Ron was staring at me with a funny look on his face.

“What was that about?�

“Oh, not you too. Besides, it’s none of your business.�

“She’s right, Ron,� Harry said. “…but that doesn’t stop us from asking,� he said laughing.

“Honestly!� I huffed as I turned my back to them.


Why was everyone being so nosy? I mean, I can understand Lavender, it’s practically her nature. But Harry and Ron? Well, actually it’s like their second nature too…I remember when I kept Viktor from them in fourth year. They simply would not leave me alone.

Breakfast neared to a close, and I shut my book and put it in my schoolbag as I walked up to the exit of the Great Hall. Seamus was standing there, leaning against the door to let people pass. His ice-blue eyes were scanning the crowd.

“Hermione!�

“Hi Seamus,� I said. Oh no, was I blushing? How embarrassing…the thought made me turn a light red. I came up to him.

“What are you up to?�

�You did want to meet me here, right?�

“Right. I have a surprise for you.�

“And what would that be?�

“Turn around and close your eyes.�

I did and cautiously opened one eye a crack.

“No peeking!� he said sternly.

I laughed and shut my eyes. He lifted my hair and slid something around my neck.

“Open your eyes.�

I looked down to see a small gold heart on a slender golden chain. It was very shiny and when examining it closer, I found that it was a locket. I opened it to find something inscribed. On one side it said, ‘You’re in my heart’ and the other side read ‘I hope I’m in yours.’ I gasped.

“Seamus!�

“Do you like it?�

“I-I…�

“You don’t like it?�

“No, I love it! Thank you, but you really didn’t have to do this for me.�

“I just thought you deserved something really special, because you yourself are really special.�

My cheeks turned a light pink.

“Shall I accompany you to Transfiguration?� he asked me.

“I was going to go with Harry and Ron, but it looks like they’ve left all ready.�

“So you’re stuck with me.�

“Looks like it,� I laughed.

“Well, I’m not that horrible,� he said winking.

“That’s a relief.�


While walking up to Professor McGonagall’s classroom, our hands found each other, and Seamus gave a slight smile. His hand felt cool against mine. I was glad I didn’t have sweaty palms, or that would be simply dreadful! I didn’t want to ever let go of his hand, but we soon neared the classroom. Seamus let go of my hand, reluctantly, I hope, then tilted up my chin with his hand. He gave me a soft kiss on the mouth, and then smiled.


“See you later, Hermione.�


I swear I could’ve melted. Instead, I gave a small smile, and we walked into the classroom, me looking particularly love-struck, I imagine. I don’t think I’ve said this before, but I’m glad I write all this down in invisible ink. No one can ever read it but me.

-H. Granger

Chapter IV: Blissfully Unaware

I don’t think I’ve felt this way before in my life. When I see him I am at loss for words. I feel a blush creeping into my cheeks every time he glances my way. I could get lost in his forever blue eyes that shine like clear pools of water. Whenever the image of him pops into my mind, I become distracted and my stomach ties into a knot. Ahhh…I feel like a foolish schoolgirl…scratch that, I’ve become a foolish schoolgirl…not that I’m at all pleased by knowing this.

I walked into Transfiguration class on a cloud, feeling oh-so blissfully unaware. I took my seat next to Harry and got lost in thought as I took out my book.


“What’s wrong with you?� Ron said staring at me funny.

“What are you talking about?�

“Looks as if you’ve had a dreadfully strong Cheering Charm cast on you,� Harry observed.

“Do I now?�

Harry nodded.

“So that’s what Finnigan gave you? A shiny gold…trinket?� Ron said with a raised eyebrow.

“His name is Seamus, Ron. Not Finnigan,� I said irritably.

Harry observed me with a curious look in his bright green eyes. “Hmmm…�

“What?� I questioned.

“Nothing.�

“When has it ever been nothing?�

“Never.�

“So, what then?�

“Never mind, forget it.�

I shrugged.

“So would that make you two together now, or something?� Ron said as Professor McGonagall walked in.

I shrugged again. “Shhh, class is starting.�

“Fine,� Ron said thickly. Harry looked at me questioningly then averted his stare away.


Professor was telling us about the origin of a famous incantation when I felt a sharp jab in my back. I turned around and glanced at Lavender, who sat directly behind me. She looked heavily concentrated on Professor McGonagall. A note was slipped into the back of my chair. I took it out and glanced again at Lavender who gave the slightest nod. I turned around and unfolded the parchment.


So what happened with Seamus? – L


I sighed and got out my quill…this is what the rest of the note looked like:


Lavender, we can’t pass notes in class – Hermione

Parvati and I do it all the time; it’s no big deal – L

I’m trying to listen to Professor McGonagall. She hinted that this might come up on the exams. Besides, she will catch us – Hermione

I decided not to even pass the note back to her. Instead I stuck it in the center of one of my books, and did not turn around later to look at her. I wonder why she cares? Never mind, she’s nosy about everything in the subject of who’s with who in the boyfriend and girlfriend category. I guess I can’t really blame her.


Later, at lunch, I was talking with Harry and Ron about the DA meeting that was taking place that night. It was planned to meet everyone in front of the Room of Requirement at about 6:30 and we would go over what we had been learning since last year. The prospect was really quite exciting, I mean, being able to have the club without restriction. My stomach rumbled loudly. The enchanted plates of food on the table were taken away, so I leaned over the table and grabbed Harry’s sandwich to take a bite of it.

“What are you doing?!�

“Nothing.�

“You took my sandwich!�

“Thanks for pointing that out, Harry. You’re quite the clever one.�

“But I’ve bitten it…don’t you care about germs?�

“Not really.�

I felt two strong hands rest on my shoulders, and I turned around to see Seamus beaming down at me.

“Hello lovely,� he said. I blushed.

“You really think I’m lovely?� Ron said grinning and striking a pose.

“You big…fat…git…� I hissed, glaring at him.

Ron leaned over and whispered something to Harry, and Harry snorted in his pumpkin juice. Seamus ignored Ron.

“Hey, Seamus. How are you doing?�

“So the DA is on for tonight?�

“Yes, 6:30 in front of the Room of Requirement. Like always,� I said.

“All right.� He put his hand over mine, which happened to be on the table. Harry and Ron both shared a curious look and Harry cocked an eyebrow. “Would you fancy a walk outside?�

I looked at Harry and Ron and stared blankly with my mouth slightly open.

“Go on,� Harry said.

“Sure,� I replied, rising from my seat with Seamus still holding my hand. I didn’t look back at Harry and Ron when we left the Great Hall.


As we walked out onto the Hogwarts grounds, a refreshing autumn breeze blew across, and the sun partly hid behind a thin cloud. My fingers were entwined with his, and all felt right in the world. Just thinking back on it sends shivers down my spine. Conversation drifted, and Seamus was telling me how much he missed his family. I ignored all of the envious glares from Seamus’s admirers and just breathed in the afternoon. Luckily, this afternoon was free of lessons and I could stay out with Seamus until dusk if I wanted to. Sadly, I had planning with Harry for the lesson, and I had to bid farewell to Seamus at around 5:00. He gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek, and as I walked up to the Gryffindor common room, I couldn’t help but think, this lesson better be worth planning. I hate to admit it, but right then, I would have much rather stayed with Seamus than go back up to the Hogwarts castle.


“Glad to see you were able to join us,� Ron said coolly as I entered through the portrait hole.


I ignored Ron’s comment and spent the next hour with Harry listing all of the hexes, curses, and charms we had learned the year before. When we were finally done, I folded up the parchment and stuck it in the pocket of my robes, along with my wand. Harry, Ron, and I went downstairs to the area of the Room of Requirement where a few people were all ready waiting. About five minutes after 6:30, it had appeared that everyone who was going to join this year was assembled in front of us. I saw everyone from last year, of course, but to my disgust and subtle surprise, Malfoy and his cronies, along with Pug-face Parkinson and Malfoy’s fan club of girls had shown up. Very suspicious. But maybe it was one step closer for inter-school unification that we really need nowadays. It turned out that Alicia Spinnet had to pull Harry aside for a word about the Gryffindor’s quidditch practice, so he left me to tend with the group. I cleared my throat and waited for everyone’s attention.


“I am ecstatic at the number of people that showed up today,� I started off by saying. “Hopefully we can have a very productive year and learn many new things.� I ignored the malicious whispers coming from the area around Malfoy. Not surprising.


I turned my back to the crowd and closed my eyes. I paced in front of the door and thought, ‘What I need is somewhere we can practice the Defense Against the Dark Arts comfortably so we can defend ourselves and this school in the Final Battle.’ I thought this over and over again, and by my third pace, a great dark cherry wood door with a shiny gold knob appeared. I twisted it, and walked in with the group following behind. A fireplace crackled in a corner giving the room a friendly atmosphere. A few bookshelves lined the walls, filled with thick volumes I had yet to pour through. Another corner was filled with items recognizable from ‘Professor Moody’s’ office: a few sneakoscopes and a large foe glass, to name a couple. A few paintings hung in slightly tarnished gold frames against the deep, red wine color of the walls. The room was pleasantly warm, and smelled faintly of cinnamon.

I stood in front of the group once again and said, “We are going to pair off for a start and we will go over the charms and hexes Harry we learned last year just to refresh our memories. Those of you new to the group will hopefully catch on to what we are doing, so be sure to pair off with one of the students from last year if possible.�


With that said, the group immediately separated into several groups of two. Ginny had the misfortune of being Malfoy’s partner, because Ron and Neville paired together, and Crabbe and Goyle did as well. Neither Malfoy nor Ginny was pleased, to say the least. I felt bad for her and gave her a sympathetic look.


“Okay, start of with the Disarming Charm,� I instructed.


I giggled as a furious Ginny Weasley sent Malfoy’s wand hurtling towards the wall. She’s definitely inherited the temper from her mother. I walked over, watching other pairs practice. Seamus winked at me from where he was practicing with Dean, and his wand flew from his hand as Dean disarmed him. My heart fluttered a bit, but sadly I also had other students to attend to, so I continued surveying the other pairs. Shouts of ‘expelliarmus!’ filled the room, and as I walked past Parvati and Lavender, Lavender pulled me aside to say something to me as Parvati went to retrieve the wand she had just lost.


“So how’s it going with Seamus?�

“It’s fine.�

“Well, I don’t want this to sound cryptic or anything, but I would just watch out Hermione.�

“What?�

“You know, try not to get your heart broken or anything.�

My eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.�

Lavender gave a small sigh. “Just try not to, okay?�


I then left to watch the groups at the opposite side of the room again. Who did she think she was, anyways? Harry came back in the room again. He gave me a thankful smile, and took over the spot of ‘teacher’ allowing me to pour through the books on the shelves for some useful things we can associate for the club. I grabbed a few random ones and plopped down on the cozy tan carpet and leaned against a few velvet pillows that were lying around. Over my book, I could see Ginny, very aggravated, trying to help Malfoy with his Patronus, the charm that Harry had switched to next. As Malfoy hopelessly wiggled his wand, Ginny groaned loudly and feigned hitting her head against a wall. After about fifteen bleak and unsuccessful bellows of ‘expecto patronum,’ Ginny went over there, held Malfoy’s arm and demonstrated the precise way to flick his wand. He made a disgusted face at the prospect of a Weasley touching his arm, as he made clear to all of us after the lesson. She also told him correct pronunciation and places of stress in the incantation. When I looked over my book every so often, I could see him quickly gain progress, getting his first wisp of silver, and by the end of the meeting, producing a great silver dragon. Ginny was pleased, as she should be, and Malfoy was quite smug, as he always is. They got quite chatty, which they might have not realized, but after the lesson I planned to remind her that Malfoy was scum.

On the other hand, I had found a number of spells that could prove useful for meetings in the future. The books were really quite interesting, but of course, that’s not surprising coming from me. As my eyes drifted over to where Lavender was, I remembered what she had said to me earlier that night. What in the world did she mean? I hope she wasn’t planning to break us apart, that little wretch. Since when did she lookout for me? That’s what I have Harry and Ron for, thanks. But come to think of it, maybe those stares I had gotten outside were not jealous ones, as I had interpreted, but maybe they were of something…else? I think I’m seeing things through what the muggles call ‘rose-colored glasses’ something or other, and maybe lately I may have been a little too blissfully unaware on my part.

-H. Granger

Chapter V: A Question Of Heart

Erm…hello?

…

Good, the ink didn’t seep through or anything... This journal thing isn’t some Dark Art artifact…it’s normal, well, from what I can tell so far. I can keep my thoughts to myself without some ghost of a person giving me feedback, as it was in second year.

First off, my name is Ginerva Weasley, better known as Ginny or Ron’s sister. I found this blank journal under the armchair when I dropped my wand earlier today. Sadly, since my second year when I had the run-in my Tom Riddle’s ‘ghost,’ I had developed a phobia of writing in journals or diaries. Can you blame me? However, when I saw this little black leather-bound journal under the armchair, I just thought ‘I might as well give it a shot,’ because, honestly, I can’t graduate from Hogwarts with a phobia of writing in diaries. That is horribly embarrassing. I think I am doing well so far though; it isn’t going bad at all.

Well, I have six older brothers: Ron, Fred & George (they’re identical twins), Percy, Charlie, and Bill. We all share the same flaming red hair and the same sense of humor. Percy would be the exception, though. He always has to be serious about everything and he never lightens up. My family is not very rich, but that’s okay with me. Money doesn’t matter much to me as it does to some people I know…Slytherins in particular… Anyways I go to Hogwarts, of course. Where else would I go? I’m in the house of Gryffindor, which is the house my entire family has been in, and life so far has been good.

A couple of days ago was when our first DA meeting of the year took place. I’m so proud of Harry and Hermione for starting it up again. It was a big hit; even a few Slytherins showed up. The only bad part was that I had to be partnered with Draco Malfoy. The DA (Dumbledore’s Army) is so helpful to everyone, especially now that the public knows that Voldemort has returned. At the meeting, we pretty much reviewed everything from last year, and tried to teach it all to the newcomers. Hermione did a great job of leading the class while Harry was out talking to Alicia.

Speaking of Hermione, we are actually planning a surprise birthday party for her! It’s going to be on Saturday, only four days from now. The plan is that she will be walking down to the Quidditch pitch for practice with Harry, Ron, and I and Ron will accidentally ‘forget’ his broomstick. He will ask Hermione to go get it for him or else he will be late. Hermione, of course, being the nice person she is, will comply. When she gets to about the second floor, Nearly Headless Nick will talk to her for a bit and try to stall as long as possible. Then Harry, Ron, and I will rush up to the common room and put up the decorations with magic. They are hidden in various places around the common room; the grandfather clock being one of those places. Neville said he would get a cake and other food from the kitchens, so that will all ready be up there. Most of the Gryffindors should be up there since we told them all about it during and in between all of our classes. When she comes through the portrait hole, then we’ll surprise her! I’ve all ready got her gift, which is a book on the most significant wizardry advances of this century. I’m sure she’ll love it. It is a book, after all. I can’t wait to see her face! She will love the surprise! Harry planned the whole thing, actually. It was his idea. That was really sweet of him. At the very beginning of this year, I thought I sensed a slight something between Harry and Hermione that they possibly haven’t even noticed themselves. I guess I was wrong though, because Hermione is completely ecstatic about Seamus. There seems to be something funny about him, though, but not funny in a good way. Whenever he passes, I can swear I hear some dark whispering going on between other students. Hopefully, hopefully, I’m just imagining this, though.

I’m also hoping that I will get a permanent spot on our house Quidditch team. It would be great if I got a spot as Chaser, since Angelina left last year. Alicia Spinnet, the new quidditch captain, actually wants to talk to me after dinner tomorrow. I hope what she has to tell me is good news. I love playing quidditch…but maybe not as much as Harry or Ron. The thrill of flying up and playing is amazing, though. I really do hope I get the spot.

Oh, I almost forgot about this; though I don’t see how I could have. This year I signed up a Muggle Studies class. I thought it might be interesting to try and see why my dad loves muggles so I decided to give it a try. It turns out to be quite an interesting class, actually. It’s funny how muggles have evolved so quickly. They’re really quite clever, and wizards in general don’t really give them enough credit. Automobiles and microwaves…how did they have the time to come up with this crazy stuff?
Well when I took a seat in class yesterday, I saw that the person sitting next to me was none other than Draco Malfoy, the most anti-muggle person I have ever met in my entire life.

My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Malfoy?� I asked; just to be sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

His platinum blonde head turned to face me. “Yes, Weasel?� he spat. He seemed even more hostile than normal as he glared at the muggle objects around the room in disgust.

“What are you doing here?�

“What am I doing here? That is a very good question, indeed. This is some kind of sick, twisted punishment that Dumbledore gave me. He has possibly the worst sense of humor out of anyone in this school.�

“What did you do to deserve it?� I said as I raised my eyebrows, trying not to laugh.

“I didn’t do anything to deserve this type of cruel and unusual penalty,� Draco stated stubbornly as he brushed some of his white blond bangs to the side.

“Fine. What did you do to make Dumbledore think that you deserve to be put in this class?�

“I only insulted a group of muggle-borns in the hallway.�

“And then? I know that’s not the end of the story,� I said.

“And then I had Crabbe and Goyle hang each of them by the tags on their robes along the torch mantles on the walls,� Draco muttered.

“My point exactly,� I said, making my point.

“The old man calls this ‘muggle appreciation.’ What is he thinking?� Draco said angrily.

“What were you thinking when you hung students up by their robes along the hallway? That’s crazy,� I countered.

“It’s not crazy…just a bit of fun,� Draco said simply as he placed a silver ink bottle on his desk.

I rolled my eyes and then faced the front. I took out my book and some parchment, along with my quill and ink. The rest of the class was fine; fine meaning that there wasn’t anymore comments from Malfoy. When the class ended, I gathered up all of my supplies and put them in my book bag. I then headed outside for some quick fresh air before I went to my next class. I walked along the castle and took in the cool day with the refreshing autumn wind. The sun was barely visible hiding among the numerous clouds in the dull blue sky. I was about to turn around and walk back but I stopped when I heard my name.

“Hey, isn’t that one of those Weasleys?� someone grunted.

“Oh well spotted,� a cool voice replied sarcastically. I recognized it to be Malfoy’s. The person who said my name was probably Goyle.

“Well, don’t you want me to teach her a lesson?� another voice said. This was most likely Crabbe speaking. I then turned around at this comment and glared at them.

“What did she do?� Malfoy asked, not aware I had turned.

“If I recall correctly,� I said, “it was me teaching your friend here a lesson a few days ago. He would have never conjured a Patronus without my help. So I suggest that before you think about beating up or taunting someone, you should question whether not your leader owes them something.�

Crabbe and Goyle just stared at me with stupid, blank expressions on their faces. That wasn’t surprising. I then began to walk back into the castle, angry and thinking that I should have never even come outside in the first place. Why do Slytherins always want to make trouble, especially Malfoy and his posse?

I heard footsteps behind me, and then a touch on the shoulder. I turned around to see Draco’s cold grey eyes boring into mine.

“Yes?�

“Err, sorry about what happened back there,� Draco said awkwardly, referring to what had happened a few moments before. “I didn’t ask them to give you trouble or anything, they just-“

“I know. I heard you before I turned around,� I interrupted him. I was a bit thrown off by this act, intended or not, of sincerity from him.

“I never properly thanked you for helping me the other day either,� Draco said, quickly regaining his placid composure.

“I noticed,� I replied. “You were probably too busy telling the entire room, quite loudly, that you detested the fact that you were partnered with a Weasley,� I said, entering through the main doors of the castle.

“Well I’m saying thank you now, aren’t I?� Draco snapped. “I do not completely lack manners.�

“That’s true,� I replied. I decided to go along with his sincerity (possibly sincerity ruse) to see what would happen. There’s no harm in that, right? Besides, it would get Malfoy off of my back for at least a little while.

“I’ll also tell Crabbe and Goyle to shut up before something like this happens again,� Malfoy said as his thin lips formed into one of his trademark smirks. “Even I can’t deny that they’re complete imbeciles.�

“I always wonder how they pass each year,� I muttered as I climbed a staircase.

To my surprise, Malfoy chuckled. It wasn’t one of his mirthless, malicious laughs either. It sounded, well, genuine. “Thanks again for your help, Weasley. You really are quite clever.�

“You’re welcome then.� I walked into my next class, which was Transfiguration. “I’ve got to go now.�

“See you next Muggle Studies class, Weasley,� was what I heard as his voice, barely audible, wafted through the doorway.

By now I have decided to hide my writing with a spell because now I feel that it’s too private for anyone to stumble upon. Image what someone would think if they found this and read I still had a slight case of fear against diaries, or if Hermione found out about her surprise birthday party? Anyways, later that night, during dinner, I think, was when my mind wandered and stumbled upon that subject. I wondered what Malfoy was up to, or maybe he just wanted a real friend for once. Not one that his father bought for him. Maybe he was actually sorry about what happened, and thankful that I helped him a few days ago. But much more likely, maybe this whole thing is a joke and I am the punch line. Malfoy has given himself an image far too inhuman to care about anyone else other than himself.

I shook my head and looked back up at the people around me. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville were chatting about something that I didn’t really catch up to. I thought about mentioning the weird incident that happened earlier, but then decided against it. I know that they all deeply hate him and would probably never give him a moment’s chance. Hermione might be an exception, though. She is completely for house integration ever since the sorting hat song in third year (her fourth). I think I should give him a chance, though. Even if it doesn’t work out, and my gut is right, at least I’ll have a pretty funny story out of it.

“So what do you think of it, Ginny? I haven’t heard you say anything yet,� Hermione asked me as her voice broke me away from my miniature brain storm.

“Think of…what?� I asked, confused. I looked around at all of them who were staring at me.

“You know, the DA getting back together,� Harry said.

“Did you hear anything we said in the past fifteen minutes?� Ron asked from beside me.

“Erm, no, I think I must’ve spaced out,� I replied. “But I think that having the DA back is great, and so do my other friends. I think we were talking about it earlier yesterday or something.�

“I don’t feel like a Squib anymore after these lessons,� Neville said shyly. “Gran was so proud to hear that I can produce a corporeal Patronus. Actually, she almost choked on her dinner when I told her.�

“We’re happy we could help, mate,� Harry said to him as his fork pierced another pork chop that he piled onto his plate.

Later that night, my mind came back once again to the subject. My mind was troubled by it, but I think it was strange to be overanalyzing the whole situation. To trust or not to trust? To allow Malfoy a chance, or to disallow him one? I eventually figured it’s merely a question of heart. I’ll give Malfoy a chance, and I’ll try (even if my gut tells me not to) to warm up to him. My heart contradicts my gut, and anyone with a heart would give him a second chance. This is no matter how vile he was before. Like I said before, it’s really just a question of heart.

Chapter VI: Beautiful Disaster

If I could describe today in one word, it would most definitely have to be “disaster.� I’m just glad I found this…it’s been gone for a while and I got so worried. For some reason, it was in a girl’s bathroom on a sink. Now I will try to explain what happened earlier today without chucking this book out of the tower…

This morning, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I were walking out to the Quidditch pitch for their practice. I was planning on watching it, since Ginny insisted. The sky was clear, blue, and the sun just looked all around cheery.

“Well done Ginny,� I said happily. “Good job on making the team!�

“Thanks. I like being a chaser a lot more than being a seeker. No offense Harry,� she added with a grin. “When Alicia asked to talk to me after dinner a couple days ago, I was hoping I’d get the spot. Luckily, she’s seen me play as chaser with you guys after your practices before and she thought I would be perfect.�

“No one is perfect, not even you, darling sister,� Ron said jokingly.

“Shut up, you,� she responded as she punched him in the arm. Ron clutched his arm and moved so that he was no longer walking next to her.

“Where did you say Angelina went off to anyway?� Ron asked Harry.

“Last year she told me that she was going off to Puddlemere like Oliver. That sounds like fun to me,� Harry said.

“I hear they get free brooms,� Ginny piped in.

“Really? Wait--� Ron said, stopping suddenly. “Bloody hell; my broom! It’s upstairs! I forgot it in the boys’ dormitory.�

I could’ve sworn Harry almost grinned. What did he want, for Ron to be kicked off the team?

“How did you not notice you weren’t holding it?� Harry asked with raised eyebrows.

“I don’t know and I don’t have time to think about it! I can’t be late to practice even if I don’t have my broom,� Ron said as he looked at me.

“I’ll get it,� I felt inclined to offer.

“Really?�

I nodded.

“D’you want me to come with you?� Harry asked me. I noticed that Ron quickly elbowed him in the stomach and Ginny swiftly stepped on his foot.

“No thanks,� I told him and I noticed Ron and Ginny looked relieved. “I don’t want you to get in trouble either.�

I walked back into the great stone castle. Rows of suits of armor greeted me as I walked along the hallways (not literally, mind you…though I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually did). I could hear Peeves crashing about in the next hall. Sounded like something valuable. There weren’t a lot of people inside; most were probably outside enjoying the nice day. As I reached the third floor, I met Nearly Headless Nick in front of a bookcase.

“Well good morning, young Gryffindor,� Nick said with a smile. “Now why aren’t you outside with the rest of the students? It’s a brilliant day outside, you know.�

“Yes, I know,� I replied. “I’ve only come inside to get something,� I said as I started to walk again.

“Would you like to see the new painting that was put up on the second floor?� Nick asked as he glided in front of me. I stopped short so I didn’t have to walk through him. “It’s another portrait. She’s quite a nice lady…although she is a bit loud,� he said as he gestured down the staircase.

“No thank you,� I said.

“Oh, but I insist!�

“Any other time would be fine, it’s just that I have to go right now,� I said as I walked past him and up another staircase.

“Could you tell me if my head looks more…erm…decapitated than usual?� Nick voice faintly sounded as I imagined that he let his head fall to the side.

I really didn’t mean to be rude and leave him, but I knew Ron would probably be mad if I didn’t get him his broom soon. I rushed up a couple more staircases until I reached the Gryffindor tower entrance. After saying the password, I climbed through into the common room. It seemed that the whole house of Gryffindor was packed in there. So much for my ‘It’s a beautiful day’ theory. They were staring at me nervously, but I paid them no mind as I climbed up the stone stairwell to the sixth year boys’ dormitory.

Stepping inside, I saw that all of the four-poster beds were all neatly made and orderly. I felt a pang of pity for the house elves that obviously did this work. Disregarding the pity, I then wondered where Ron put his broomstick. ‘Now if I were Ron, where would I put my broom?’ I thought to myself. I looked underneath all of the beds but had no luck. I then searched his trunk, but I found nothing of interest there either (except for some spider repellant, which I find extremely hilarious). I suddenly noticed a small door at the end of the room. A broom closet. Of course. ‘And people call you brilliant…’ I thought to myself as I made my way to the door. The door was open just a crack, and as I opened it, my mouth fell open.

Seamus’s fists were full of long dark hair that I noticed to be Parvati’s. They were quite caught up in snogging. It was incredibly heart-wrenching and disgusting. They broke apart immediately. With surprising calmness, I reached for Ron’s broom and turned around taking silent deep breaths.

“Hermione!� I heard Seamus say. “It’s not what you-� Parvati looked from him to me and then realized what was happening. She then looked at Seamus with disgust.

“That’s quite all right,� I interrupted as I turned around to face him. “I only came here to get this,� I said quietly as I shut the door. It opened again.

“Hermione, wait-�

I was no longer listening to him. I set down Ron’s broom and ripped the locket from my neck. I clenched it in my fist and went over to his bed. Dangling the locket over his pillow by the broken chain, tears began to blur my vision. The colors of the room all began to melt together. I determinedly blinked the tears away. There was time for that later. I took my wand from my pocket and whispered, ‘reducto.’ Because of the extremely close range, the small heart-shaped gold locket shattered into thousands of tiny pieces on his pillow. Gold dust glittered as it gently floated to the ground. I then grabbed Ron’s broom and, with all the dignity I could muster, walked out of the boys’ dormitory. I still had to give Ron his broom and I had no intention of breaking down in front of everyone. I would not give Seamus that satisfaction. Surprisingly, when I entered the common room, it was fully decorated with balloons swelled to enormous sizes and a large banner that read ‘Happy 16th Birthday Hermione!’ that was continuously singing the Happy Birthday song.

“SURPRISE!!!� the entire common room shouted at me. That explained a lot.

I suddenly got wrapped up in a hug by Harry, Ron, and Ginny. This was when the tears began to fall. I couldn’t stop them either.

“What’s wrong, Hermione?� Harry asked concerned.

“I’m crying because I’m happy,� I blubbered. “I swear.� I then turned to Ron. “Here’s your broom Ron,� I said as I gave it to him. “I really appreciate this you guys, but I need to go to my room. I feel sick. Really, really sick,� I said muttering the last part as I pushed past everyone.

I made my way up to my dormitory and made salvation under my covers, crying my eyes out for what I imagine to be hours. That is where I am right now, actually. Trying to get a hold of myself. I can hear people downstairs asking, ‘Have you seen Hermione?’ ‘What happened?’ ‘She said she was sick but I heard she was expelled from school.’

This whole time I’ve been writing this, my usually neat handwriting is small and scraggly because my hands are shaking. I know I’m a mess, but if I look in a mirror, I’ll only be disappointed in myself. I’ll only see the girl who fell for the first boy to give her a compliment. How could someone so practical and who always knows what to do fall into a position like this? Now my feelings keep switching from miserable to furious. I’m miserable that I had my heart broken and that I fell for Seamus’s act. I’m furious that he had the nerve to cheat on me and that everyone knew about it the whole time. Wasn’t that what Lavender was talking about that week when she told me to watch out? Why couldn’t she have just told me that Seamus was a good-for-nothing phony? I should have never fallen for his ridiculous Prince Charming act. I should have never even met him if it would have spared me the grief. Silly teenager mood swings. I know what they are, but that doesn’t give me the power to control them.

Word about what happened must have spread quickly about what happened because I heard Harry confront Seamus only a few moments ago. Parvati must’ve talked about it. As silly as this sounds, after all of these years of knowing her, I honestly believe that she didn’t know what she was doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if Seamus fed her some ill-fated lie as well.

“Is it true what everyone’s been saying, Seamus?� I heard Harry interrogate.

“What are you talking about?� Seamus said defensively. Typical.

“You were snogging Parvati in a broom closet?�

“Possibly…why do you ask?�

“Yes or no. I don’t want to make you regret anything.�

“Yes…yes I was.�

“Do you have any idea what you did to Hermione?�

“I didn’t do anything to Hermione.�

“You know what I’m talking about.�

“Okay…so she got a little bit upset.�

“A little upset??? Seamus, you broke her heart!�

“But she wasn’t even my girlfriend!�

“Everyone thought she was, probably including her.�

There was an awkward pause.

“I saw her more of a sister figure than a girlfriend…�

“DO YOU SNOG YOUR SISTER?!� Harry exploded.

I smiled weakly. I was glad Harry could do my yelling when I wasn’t up to it. That’s what best friends are for, I suppose, yelling at idiots who break the other friend’s heart.

“No…but try and hear me out, mate.�

“I’M NOT YOUR MATE!�

“Well…�

“She’s my best friend! What were you thinking???�

The ranting went on for what seemed to be ages, with Harry swearing at him every so often, additional rage from Ron, and an angry comment here and there from Ginny. Lavender and Parvati avoided me when they came up here and went straight to bed. Maybe they felt guilty or something. Who knows? I can’t believe Seamus told them he thought of me as his sister! The nerve of him!

The shouting is over now…and Ginny just came in to tell me that Harry wants to see me downstairs. She said that there is no one down there. I guess I’ll be okay doing that…I’ll finish writing this later…

~*~

I am so glad I have Harry as a best friend. When I went downstairs, he was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. Ginny was right; no one else was there. They were probably all scared off by the raving of my best friends.

“Do you want to sit down?� Harry asked gently.

I nodded as I sat down on the sofa next to him. My eyes began to fill with tears all over again.

“Seamus is such a jerk,� I said as tears spilled onto the front of my robes as I stared at the floor.

“I know,� Harry said quietly. “He refused to admit you two were more than just friends. I asked him if he snogs his sister.�

I gave him a weak grin. “I know. I heard.�

Harry looked at me sheepishly. “Was I really that loud?�

I nodded as some more tears streamed down my face. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the whole tower heard.�

Harry took me in a big hug. “It’ll be all right, Hermione. I will be your shoulder to cry on.�

I leaned my head against his shoulder and stained his robes with my tears. I sniffed and tried to wipe the tears away.

“I’m really sorry…I’m crying…all over your robes. See, they’re all wet now,� I said shakily as I lifted my head.

“It’s okay, Hermione. Really,� Harry said softly as he brushed some of my hair from my face. He took his thumbs, placed them under my eyes, and wiped away the tears. He looked at me straight in the eyes and tried to give me a supportive smile. I could see that his usually startling green eyes were clouded with understanding and compassion. My heart fluttered. I guess it was just nerves.

“You must think I’m stupid or something for falling for that don’t you?� I said hanging my head.

“Of course not,� Harry said. “Apparently even the smartest can fall for tricks like those.�

I leaned my head back on his shoulder and tried to forget what had happened earlier today. Harry gently patted my back. I put my arms loosely around his neck and eventually drifted off to sleep with Harry’s arms around me, serving as something of a security. It made me feel safe, anyways.

“Hermione?� I heard Harry say quietly.

I didn’t say anything and pretended I was sleeping.

“If only I could tell you,� he muttered as he ran his hand through my hair.


I’ve actually just woken up know. The fire has almost gone out and I can barely make out that the grandfather clock in the corner reads three in the morning. Harry is sleeping as I write. I took off his glasses and laid them on the side table quietly, not trying to wake him up. His jet black hair is ruffled, as usual, and he is breathing deeply and evenly. It makes me smile, for a reason I can’t quite place. Harry is the best friend I’ve ever had. He is always there to laugh, and even cry, with in good times…and disasters. This disaster has ended out with almost a happy ending…almost the exact opposite of what I went through yesterday morning. No one says disasters can’t be beautiful, right? I’m thinking that this has turned out to be one of those. However, right now I’d feel much better going to sleep. I better get back upstairs to my dormitory now.

-H. Granger

Chapter VII: A Toast To Friendship


Odd, I found this under the sofa in the common room. Why does it always disappear and the reappear under some article of furniture? It was under the sofa that Hermione and Harry were sitting in last night. I saw that they had fallen asleep there on the sofa when I was sneaking down to the kitchens for a midnight snack, sort of my Saturday night ritual. They looked so peaceful and cute together. I wonder if they were still there this morning. I hope they didn’t see the journal, though. That would be horribly embarrassing.

Well a couple days ago Hermione got her heart broken by Seamus who turns out to be a cheating liar. Strangely, everyone seemed to know about it while it was going on except the people who really needed to know, the foremost of them being Hermione. Poor Hermione, he had me fooled as well. She was so upset. It must be murder, knowing that everyone knows that your boyfriend is cheating scum except for you, and of course, everyone is too scared to tell you or your best friends and keeps quiet instead, and then you look like a complete idiot to the rest of the school. I can’t believe it had to happen to Hermione because she is such a great person. Yesterday in the common room I heard Lavender and Parvati talking. Everyone else was eating lunch, but I had to finish my Divination homework.

“So what really happened, Parvati?� Lavender asked examining her nails. She was lying on her stomach on the sofa facing Parvati who was sitting cross-legged in an armchair.

“That lying cheat,� Parvati said frowning. “Do you know what he told me? He said that he had broken up with Hermione!�

“Why did you go with him?� Lavender asked looking up at her. “You know that the unwritten rule says you have to wait at least a week to go out with a guy who has just broken up with a friend.�

When I heard this I hid my laughter by coughing loudly. I couldn’t help myself. Sometimes they are so conventional. They turned around and stared at me, but I was doing my homework intently.

“First of all, he tricked me, and second of all, I thought the rule was for, like you know, best friends.�

“It applies to anyone we’re friends with, not just each other,� Lavender said, going back to examining her nails. “How did he trick you?�

“He said that he had something to show me upstairs,� Parvati said with a slight whine.

“And you fell for that? That’s, like, the oldest trick in the book!� Lavender exclaimed.

“But you saw how he was with Hermione,� Parvati said sadly. “I thought he was just being nice.�

“Parvati,� Lavender said seriously, sitting up. “He was far from being nice when he was with Hermione. You know about all of those other girls.�

Now we were getting somewhere. I laid down my quill for a moment.

“Yeah,� Parvati sympathized. “And I still don’t think Hermione knows about them. We’re talking about at least five other girls. And when he wasn’t with Hermione he-�

“-was off with other girls,� Lavender finished. “We know what happened. Back on subject, okay? So pretty much, he played you for a sap.�

Parvati nodded forlornly.

“Come here,� Lavender said as she gave her a hug.

As I was listening, I grew angrier and angrier. More than one and more than once? This issue had grown out of control. I closed my book, stood up, and walked over to where they were.

“Look,� I began as they turned to me. “I couldn’t help overhearing what you were saying,� I said and then they glared at me. “But you were talking about my best friend, and she is really upset about this.� Their looks softened upon hearing this. “If it’s okay, I’d just like to ask you a few questions,� I continued, “and then I’ll go talk to Hermione.�

They both nodded. “Okay, what do you want to know first?� Lavender asked.

“Does Hermione know any of the other girls Seamus was with?�

Lavender thought about it for a while and then shook her head. “Probably not. They’re mostly from other houses and in younger years than her.�

“Okay,� I said. “How long has Seamus been doing this kind of stuff?�

“He’s been doing it a while before the thing with Hermione happened,� Lavender said. “But of course, she wouldn’t know about it since she refuses to listen to any gossip.�

I nodded. “Do you think Seamus even cares about what he did?�

“Most likely no, but if he actually liked Hermione, even a little bit, then probably yes,� Lavender replied.

“How come no one told Harry, Ron, or me about this?�

“Well you’re her best friends, of course,� Lavender answered as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. “Everyone is too scared to tell you guys.�

I was right about that, then.

“Do you think that I can talk to her right now? Or should I give her enough time to be alone?�

“Well, she did look pretty comfortable on the sofa last night with Harry, you know,� Lavender said smiling in a knowing way. Then Parvati and Lavender giggled together.

“How did you know about that!?� I asked, alarmed.

“Every night I sneak down to the kitchens to get a midnight snack…well, if I’m sleeping lightly that given night. But, yes, that’s how I know about it. I saw them,� Lavender replied.

Hmmm, so I guess I’m not the only one who goes down to the kitchens all the time. I wonder if everyone does this and they just don’t run into each other. That’s something to think about.

“He’s her best friend,� I said, defending them. “So I guess I can probably talk to her then, right?�

“Yes, you can. You probably should, too. She might want you to,� Lavender said.

“One more thing,� I said. “You won’t mention the bit about Harry and Hermione to anyone, will you?� I asked looking from Lavender to Parvati.

“Of course not,� Parvati said.

“Thank you so much,� I said before I went back to doing my homework.


Later that night, I was walking towards the Quidditch pitch with my broom, trying to get some practice alone. Well, that’s what I would say if I had to make an excuse. I really just wanted some fresh night air. It was a really nice night for it, too. I had a lot on my mind and I only really felt like flying away from it all. The moon was full, and the pale yellow orb was barely visible through the thinning trees as I walked along the path. The nights were growing cooler and cooler since we in early October.

As I stepped on the field, I heard an arrogant Slytherin voice say, “What’s your business out here tonight?�

A group of bulky students figures was what I saw when I came closer. And they were all dressed in Slytherin robes. Oh no, the Slytherin Quidditch team. Well, if it wasn’t my lucky day.

“Look, I only came out here to fly around a bit,� I said. “I didn’t mean to barge in on your practice or anything.�

“Yeah, sure,� the figure (most likely captain) said snootily. “Malfoy! Come out here right now. You can have the honor of disposing this Gryffindor spy.�

I saw Malfoy’s figure come out of the locker rooms. “Oh goody,� he said sarcastically as I imagined him rolling his eyes. As he came closer to me, I was still trying to figure out what was going on. When I was close enough to see a storm wreaking havoc in Draco’s stormy grey eyes, he stopped short.

“Weasley?� The storm was at a calm.

“Oh well spotted,� I said, using the same comment he had given Goyle (or was it Crabbe?) a few days ago.

“Don’t get smart with me,� Draco said coldly. “Start walking.�

“Don’t order me around,� I shot back.

“I’ll do as I please,� Draco drawled.

“Ugh,� I said in frustration as we walked off of the field. “What is with you Malfoy? Did you get tired of being civil all ready?�

Malfoy turned his head to look back at the field. “I can’t be seen having a ‘civil’ conversation with a Gryffindor spy,� he said lightly as he winked at me.

“You know perfectly well that I was not spying,� I scoffed.

“Of course I knew that. You Gryffindors are too noble to do that. But humor me, what were you planning on doing out here?� Draco asked as he looked at me. The moonlight defined the aristocratic angular shape of his face.

“Well, I was just going to fly around,� I answered truthfully.

“Isn’t it a bit chilly to be flying around? Besides, it’s dinner time,� Malfoy said curiously.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind, okay?� I huffed.

“Would I be one of those subjects on your mind?� Malfoy said, grinning widely.

“What?� I asked, surprised. I actually like seeing Malfoy smile. It’s a nice change from the usual sneer. “No, of course not.�

“Come off it, Weasley. You know that you want me,� Malfoy said, still grinning.

I looked up at him and couldn’t help but giggle. “Even when you’re civil, you’re still incredibly self-centered.� His hand brushed against mine, sending instant warmth up my arm.

Malfoy laughed this time. “It’s my nature, Weasley. It’s my nature.�

I turned back to look at the field. It was far away by now. “Aren’t you going back to your practice?�

“First of all, I would have to walk you up to the castle to make sure you weren’t lurking near the field anyway, team rules, and second of all, practice is over,� Malfoy replied smoothly.

I glanced over to him. “From what I saw, your team was just getting started with practice.�

“True,� Malfoy said. “But for me it’s over. The brilliant boy who calls himself team captain thought it would be smart to have our practice during dinner. I do believe that there is still about twenty minutes left.� He looked sideways at me. “Are you coming?�

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble for skipping practice?�

“Of course not. They’ll hardly notice I’m gone,� Malfoy said. “Besides, they’re scared of me. I can pretty much do whatever I want.� Malfoy paused and then looked over at me again. “So are you coming or not?� he asked as we reached the massive castle doors.

“Sure,� I said. I was actually really hungry by now.

He opened the door for me and gestured inside. “M’lady,� he said with a laugh.

I laughed as well. “A real gentleman, you are. It’s a shame you don’t act like this more often.�

Malfoy looked back at the door and gave me a strange look. “Act more like a butler?� he asked, confused.

“No,� I laughed as I playfully punched him in the arm. “More like a human being.�

“Now that’s something I would have to work on,� Dr-I mean, Malfoy said with another grin as he nodded slowly.

We entered the Great Hall where all of the other students were enjoying their dinner. We received several strange looks as more people looked up. I admit, it must have been a curious sight to see a Slytherin and a Gryffindor in good company. Malfoy and I looked at each other and nodded in an unspoken agreement.

“You better watch where you’re walking next time, Weasley,� Draco said loudly.

“Shove off Malfoy,� I said angrily as we both went off in opposite directions to our tables.

I looked around to see everyone had looked away because they weren’t interested in the normal interaction between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Normal. I think it’s a shame that the current definition of normal interaction between Slytherin and Gryffindor is fighting. Well, I do understand that it is a clash of opposite personalities, but that still isn’t an excuse.

I went at sat down at the Gryffindor table across from Ron. I was still quite surprised I had a civil conversation with Malfoy. Not civil, more like friendly. For once, I actually enjoyed talking with him.

“What happened, Ginny?� Ron said as I sat down. “Was Malfoy giving you trouble?� he asked, furious all ready. “I’ll take care of him, I will,� he said angrily.

“No, no,� I insisted. “I’m fine. Really.�

I looked around. Hermione and Harry were missing from the table.

“Where’s Hermione?� I asked.

“She’s up in the Gryffindor tower,� Ron said through a mouthful. “Didn’t want to eat dinner.�

“Oh,� I said. “She must still be upset then,� I said, disappointed. I was hoping I could talk to her later, but I didn’t want to disturb her if she was still upset.

“Oh, no,� Ron said chuckling a bit. “She’s over him all ready,� he said pointing at Seamus with a chicken leg. “She’s upstairs in her room doing homework. Crazy, that one is,� Ron said taking a bite of chicken.

I laughed from relief. Good old Hermione. Back on her feet all ready. “So where’s Harry, then?�

“He’s finished all ready. He’s bringing food up to Hermione to try to get her to eat something,� Ron said as he took a gulp of pumpkin juice. “It’s a lost cause. She’d probably starve herself for a month if her grade depended on it.�

I laughed. I then looked up to see Malfoy staring at me, three tables away.

“Sorry,� he mouthed, referring to what happened when we came in. “Are we okay then?�

I thought about it. I guess this friendship would work out, even if it had to be hidden from the rest of the school. I then nodded and grinned.

Malfoy gave a small smile in return and raised his goblet in a toast. “Cheers to that,� he mouthed as he took a sip.

“Cheers,� I mouthed back and raised my goblet. Draco winked and then went back to talking to other Slytherins.

When I put my goblet down after taking a sip, Ron turned to see who I was talking to. He didn’t see anyone. “Are you mad?� he asked. Then he shook his head as he went back to eating. “Sometimes I really wonder about you, Gin.�

I smiled inwardly. I felt at ease. It was pretty surprising that Malfoy was a human being like the rest of us. After acting so horrible for the four full years I’ve been here, it is quite a nice change. I thought back to the toast again. Toasts are sometimes made to silly, irrelevant things like fame and wealth. Thankfully, that toast was no ordinary toast. I thought more of it as a toast to friendship. Now that is something worth toasting to.

Chapter VIII: "That"


Okay, I keep finding this thing in the strangest of places. To think that someone might discover what I’ve written! By know all of this has become very personal, so I should lock this in my trunk after I’m done.

A couple nights ago Harry came up to the Gryffindor tower during dinner. I had been skipping dinner a lot lately to catch up on my homework that I had been too upset to do after Seamus, well, you know. Thankfully, I am pretty much over him now. I figure that it has all been said and done and I can’t change the past no matter how I feel about it. When Harry came upstairs I was in the girls’ dormitory doing homework on my bed.

“Hermione?� I heard his familiar voice call out.

“Yes?� I called back.

“I’ve brought you some food. You know, you can’t starve yourself up there,� Harry said.

“I’m doing my homework, Harry,� I answered back. “You could learn a thing or two from me, you know, instead of saving it for the last minute.�

“Hermione, you still need to eat though,� Harry said.

It was true, actually. I was feeling quite famished. “What have you brought?� I asked curiously.

“Spaghetti with meatballs, your favorite,� Harry called. “Now come down here!�

I closed my Ancient Runes book and put my ink and quill in my school bag. I walked down to find Harry standing at the foot of the stairs. Sure enough, he was holding a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. He handed it to me with a fork.

“How did you manage to not get caught with this?� I asked him. “I appreciate this, Harry, but imagine if Filch caught you. You all ready get in enough trouble around here.�

He shrugged. “I guess no one was paying attention. Besides, it’s only spaghetti. Hermione, after this, do you want to go on a walk outside? Maybe we can talk.�

I looked at him. “Let’s go now. I can bring my food with me.� I put down the plate to put on my cloak. I buckled the silver fasten and shoved my wand into my pocket. I picked up the plate again and we made our way outside. It was a bit nippy for early October. I saw Ginny walking with someone who looked suspiciously like Draco, but she was too caught up in conversation to notice me, so I didn’t say anything. I shivered and then looked at Harry.

“So what did you want to talk about?� I questioned.

“Well,� Harry said. “It’s more of what you want to talk about. If you wanted to talk about Seamus, I just wanted to let you know that I’m here to listen.�

I twirled a strand of spaghetti around my fork. “Maybe we should start on a subject that’s not so…hard to talk about.�

Harry grinned. “Well, first of all, I’d like to say that I’m happy you’re even out here. I was afraid that you would have rather done some more of your homework.� Harry looked sideways at me. “Was that homework that you’re missing?�

I grinned sheepishly. “Erm, no…�

Harry mock sighed and said, “Just as I suspected.�

“So what about you?� I asked. “Excited for the first quidditch match of the year?�

Harry nodded. “I reckon the team will do really well. I’ve seen Hufflepuff’s new seeker, and he’s not all that great. A bit slow if you ask me.�

“Well that’s good news. Hopefully Gryffindor will keep the cup. Professor McGonagall is rather attached to it.�

“I’ve noticed,� Harry laughed.

There was an awkward pause as I ate some more of my spaghetti. “Oh, I might as well get on with it,� I said exasperated. “Yes, I was upset about Seamus, but no, I’m not still upset.�

“That’s a good thing,� Harry said. “Are you mad at Parvati?�

“No, actually. Someone told me that she was tricked…and that it wasn’t only Parvati that Seamus…erm…did something with.�

“How did you get over him so quickly?�

“Well I figure that there’s no sense in wasting time thinking about him. I can’t give him that satisfaction and I can’t change what has happened all ready. I feel like there’s not really anything left to think about.�

“Well, that’s very mature of you, Hermione,� Harry said, sounding a bit impressed. “So you’re not upset at all?�

“No…� I said trailing off. “But whenever the picture of Parvati and Seamus in the broom closet pops into my mind, it still upsets me,� I said softly. “Whenever I think about how Seamus hurt me…it still, well, hurts,� I said softly as I gazed off into the outline of the mountain range in the distance. If only I could disappear to there. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with anyone.

“Oh Merlin,� Harry said quietly. “It hurts me so much when I see you hurting. I just wish I could make it better.� He draped his arm around my shoulders and touched my arm.

Part of my mouth curved up into a smile. “Actually, Harry,� I began. “You have made it a lot better for me. Remember the night you comforted me in the common room the day that I found Seamus?�

Harry nodded.

“Well that helped me so much to remind me that I will never be alone when things turn ugly and that there will always be you to talk to when I’m upset. I smile knowing that I would do the exact same for you as well. That’s what best friends are for.� I looked to the side to see Hagrid’s hut. His lights were out; probably because he was at dinner. I looked to his garden to see that he was all ready growing pumpkins for Halloween.

“I’m glad you know that, Hermione.�

“Look,� I said pointing. “Hagrid has his pumpkins growing all ready.�

Harry turned in the direction I was pointing in and laughed. “Shame we can’t go visit him right now. Maybe another time.�

I agreed as I finished my plate of spaghetti. We then continued to talk about all kinds of things until we were back at the castle again.

“It was nice of you to bring me this,� I said, referring to the now empty plate of spaghetti. “And it was also nice to talk. Good night,� I said.

“Aren’t you going up to the common room?� Harry asked.

“Not yet, I’m going to go drop this plate off in the kitchens,� I said.

“Okay then,� he said. “Night, Hermione.�

With that I went off to the kitchens with an undeniably weird feeling in my stomach. At first I thought I was hungry, but then I realized that I had just eaten. Maybe it just doesn’t matter. It was probably nerves again…but I still can’t figure out what I was nervous about.

When I reached the kitchens, I gave the plate and silverware to a house elf (poor things!) and then made my way up to the Gryffindor tower. There was, of course, no one around. When I climbed through the portrait hole, I saw Ginny sitting in the common room looking like she was waiting for someone.

“Hey, Gin,� I said cheerfully.

“Hey Hermione, is it okay if I talk to you?�

“Well we’re talking now, aren’t we?�

“You know what I mean.�

“Okay, sure. What about?�

“Well I kind of found out that Seamus-�

“-went out with several other girls behind my back besides Parvati?� I said, finishing her question.

She stared at me. “How did you find out?�

“Well, Parvati told Lavender who told Susan who told Justin who told Hannah who told…well I don’t think how I found out matters,� I laughed.

“Parvati didn’t do anything to hurt you on purpose,� she added. “She got tricked.�

“I guessed correctly again,� I said as I sat down beside her.

“Well aren’t you on top of things,� she laughed. “So Ron told me that you’re all ready over Seamus?�

I nodded.

Ginny grinned and looked relieved. “Good, because I was worrying about you.�

There was a pause, as Ginny looked like she wanted to say something.

“So is that all you wanted to talk about?�

“Not really,� Ginny said as she looked around and then lowered her voice. “What would you say if…if I told you I was friends with…erm…Malfoy?� she said saying the last part very carefully.

Even though what she said startled me, I didn’t let in on. “I would say that I wouldn’t be surprised after I saw you two outside together not to long ago.�

“Well that’s because I was kicked off of the quidditch field.�

“What?!�

“No, a teacher didn’t kick me off, the Slytherin team captain did. They were having practice or something I suppose,� she said.

“Oh, I see.�

“This probably sounds really strange, but Draco is actually civil when I’m around him. He doesn’t make fun of me or bring up you guys or anything. He just seems normal. Do you think I should just go along with it?�

I thought about it. What harm could there be, right? I then nodded. “I really think you should Ginny. Who knows? This could be our first step to school unification.�

“Are you sure about this?�

I nodded quickly. “Yes,� I said. “I really want you to reach out, Ginny. I think that if we want to win this war that’s starting, then our school’s houses should all be unified.� I paused. “Have you ever heard of the saying ‘United we stand; divided we fall’?�

Ginny nodded.

“Well it’s kind of like that.�

“Hermione?� she asked.

“Yes?�

“When do you think the war will start?�

I paused again and then answered, “I’m betting it’s really soon.�

She bit her lip. “I’m really scared, Hermione. Especially for Harry.�

My stomach churned at the thought. “So am I…so am I,� I said quietly.

“One more thing before I go to bed, Hermione,� Ginny said with the tips of her ears turning pink.

“Yes?�

“You won’t…you won’t tell Harry and Ron what I told you about Draco, right? They would never let me live it down.�

I laughed. “Okay, but you’re going to have to tell them sometime. Especially if we want them to get along with him.�

“I know that,� Ginny said grinning. “But just not right now, you know?�

“Okay,� I said, and with that, we both went to bed.

~*~

I thought it was odd that I was talking about the war just the other night, when the next day, it was in the Daily Prophet.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I were sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating breakfast, when the Owl Post arrived. One of the Daily Prophet owls dropped off the paper for me, and I dropped my spoon when I read the headline, “Death Eaters Escape Azkaban.� I quickly skimmed the article and found out that all of the Death Eaters that were captured last year escaped Azkaban late last night. As I thought about it, I wondered if Voldemort went there himself to set them free. I quickly showed Harry, Ginny, and Ron the article, and their reactions were very similar to mine.

“Bloody hell!� Ron said. “So is this the beginning, then?�

“The beginning of what?� Ginny asked.

“The war,� he responded.

Harry looked uneasy. “I think so,� he said.

“Just to think,� Ron said, “Malfoy’s father has been let out. I bet he’ll be leaving the school at any time to follow in his father’s footsteps,� he said, disgusted.

“No he won’t,� Ginny said quickly, receiving strange stares from Ron and Harry. “Erm…what I mean is…�

“What she means is,� I began for her, “is that he might stay because he…he…he wants to finish the year,� I ended lamely.

Ginny nodded. Harry and Ron both looked at each other and shrugged, but left the subject alone.

Around us, we could hear other murmurs about the article from all of the tables. Students were pointing at the article, showing it to everyone who hadn’t seen it yet. I decided to work on my Potions assignment as I stood up.

“I’m going to the library to work on that Potions essay,� I said, getting up.

Harry got up as well. “Do you think you could help me with that, Hermione?�

“Sure,� I responded as I slung my schoolbag on my shoulder.

We made our way up to the library, discussing the possible things that could have happened last night. Harry suggested that maybe the dementors set them free, since at least some of them were obviously in league with him after what happened at Privet Drive. That was actually quite possible.

After some time after we entered the library, Harry and I had been getting some real progress. After a few minutes, Harry hadn’t spoken a word. I looked up from my parchment to see that he was staring off into space, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair.

I put down my quill and said, “Harry, what are you thinking about right now?�

He looked startled, as his mind reentered the library. “Right now?� he echoed.

I nodded.

“Well I’m kind of nervous about the quidditch match tomorrow,� he said awkwardly.

“I thought you said that you weren’t nervous about it yesterday.�

“Oh, did I? Well then, I guess it’s because of that article. It’s kind of scary knowing that the war is starting, you know?�

I nodded again. That’s true. It must be even worse for Harry, since he is on the top of Voldemort’s kill list. I looked up at Harry, and there was still a pained expression on his face.

“Harry?� I said as I touched his hand. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?�

His riveting green eyes locked on mine, and then I could indeed see that there was something else that he wanted to talk about. The way he looked at me made me feel light and dizzy. That was strange.

“I know this might sound stupid…since it was almost a year ago…but I’m still thinking about Sirius…you know, it was my fault that he got killed…� he said, trailing off and looking away.

“Harry, it’s okay…of course it wasn’t your fault. We all would’ve done the same thing.�

“No, not you,� he said. “You would have checked again. You would have made sure that he wasn’t there because you’re smart, and I just went in there blindly.�

“It’s still not your fault,� I said reassuringly. “You’re not the one who killed him. Bellatrix did that.�

“I as good as killed him!� Harry exclaimed as he got a glare from Madam Pince. “Besides, if that doesn’t make me a murderer, I’ll have to become one after this war. Well, murder or be murdered.�

“What are you talking about?� I asked, surprised.

“Remember the prophecy Voldemort was after? Well, that prophecy was given to Dumbledore, and he told me what it said. The end part was pretty clear. To end this…thing, either Voldemort will have to kill me, or I will have to kill him. I don’t want to become a murderer,� he said.

My mouth dropped open. I wonder why he didn’t tell me before. “Does Ron know this?�

Harry hung his head. “No. I always change subjects when he brings up last year. He doesn’t try to talk about it much anymore now that he knows it makes me…uncomfortable.� He paused. “I don’t want to become a murderer, Hermione. But I don’t want to be killed either.�

“Don’t think of it as murder,� I said as I put a stopper on the ink bottle. “Think of all of the people he’s killed and all of the havoc he’s caused here. You’ll be doing a service, and most definitely not a murder.�

Harry looked at me as the bell rang. “Thanks for that, Hermione,� he said as he picked up my hand and squeezed it. There he held it for a while then gave me a boyish grin and then gathered his books. My stomach felt like it had tied itself in a knot.

“That?� This time I was the one who echoed.

“Yes. That,� he said with a smile as he made his way to Divination as I made my way to Ancient Runes.

I knew what ‘that’ meant, but somehow I felt that Harry too had given me a ‘that’ to think about, even if right know I can’t imagine what ‘that’ is. I know that sounds crazy and bizarre and I might not even understand what I meant as I read back on it.

“You too,� I called back.

Harry gave me a confused look.

“You know, thanks for ‘that.’� I said.

Harry raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Sometimes you are really strange, Hermione,� he said as he left with a laugh.

- H. Granger

Chapter IX: All You Need Is A Little Limbo

The quidditch game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff was a few days ago. It seemed that the moments before the game were the moments that were the most stressful, though. At breakfast Ron and Ginny would hardly touch their food.

I looked up from my bowl of cereal at Ginny who was leaning her head against her hand and prodding her scrambled eggs with her fork.

“What’s wrong, Gin?� I asked. “Are you feeling sick?�

“No,� she said wearily. “Just nervous. Pre-game jitters are all they are. I don’t want to mess up as my first time being Chaser for Gryffindor. I especially don’t want to lose.�

“Oh,� I nodded. I couldn’t really understand, of course, since I didn’t play quidditch. I wouldn’t know since I’m not that athletic, and that means I’ve never played in front of a large crowd, let alone the entire school. But I could only imagine. I looked to Ron who had a strained expression on his face and he stared at the table.

“Are you okay Ron?� I asked.

He looked up without changing expressions. “Nervous,� he said.

I glanced at Harry who was piling his plate with food. “Harry doesn’t seem to be nervous,� I said, pointing at him with my spoon.

“That’s because he’s used to having all of the attention on him,� Ron said. “For me it is just plain nerve-wracking.�

“Oh,� I said. I clearly don’t understand what it is like to be up there. Ha, I can’t even get a broom to come up to my hand. That is how much talent I have on the field.

When the owl post came, there was another shocking headline in the Daily Prophet: “You-Know-Who Sighting In Brazilian Rainforest.� The article mostly said that he was supposedly spotted in the rainforest with a crowd of Death Eaters. How this was spotted and by whom is unknown, though. That was not really shocking after yesterday’s headline, but nonetheless, it was still frightening. I can only imagine what he was doing out there. Rallying, perhaps? Plotting ways to get Harry? I showed the paper to Ron, Ginny, and Harry.

Harry took the paper in his hands and frowned. “Why can’t they come out and say ‘Voldemort’ instead of ‘You-Know-Who?’�

Ron and Ginny flinched, as well as a few surrounding students, and the sounds of Lord Voldemort’s name.

Coming out of their nervous trances, Ron and Ginny shared their opinions.

“Do you really think You-Know-Who was in Brazil?� Ginny asked.

“Rubbish,� Ron said. “He was just at Azkaban last night. How did he get to Brazil?�

Ginny tapped her wand impatiently on the table.

“Oh,� Ron said, embarrassed. “Wizard. Right.�

I laughed. “There’s a good chance he might have been there,� I said, answering Ginny’s question.

“I wonder who happened to be out, deep in the rainforest when he was,� Ginny said. “That is kind of strange.�

“Yes, you’re right,� I said, agreeing. “But whoever it was probably wants their identity to be hidden.�

“Oh yeah,� Ginny said.

“I guess it was pretty narrow-minded of me to think that only the United Kingdom would be involved in this…thing,� Ron said.

I agreed. I had never really given much thought to it before, and certainly didn’t consider it a worldly affair when I did. It does make the most sense that way, though. That must be one of the things that the adults say we don’t understand when they try to explain the fear Voldemort created in the wizarding world. He created a world-wide fear, and a world-wide fear is a very scary concept in my opinion.

Harry looked at his watch and then stood up. “It’s time,� he said to Ron and Ginny.

Both of their expressions changed again. Their expressions were pained as they remembered about the game. I almost felt bad for them, but I knew they would be fine again after we won the game. They stood up as well and followed Harry out of the Great Hall.

“See you later, Hermione,� Ginny said. “Cross your fingers for us!� she called.

I grabbed two bagels and gave one to each Ginny and Ron. “Eat them,� I instructed. “You’ll need it, trust me.� This much I know. You should never attempt to do anything important on an empty stomach.

“Thanks,� they said.

“I’m going out to the stands,� I told them as we walked out of the Great Hall in separate directions.

I made my way up to the Gryffindor section of the stands, and took a seat at the top. It was far from the perfect day for a game. The sky was filled with swirls of grey clouds. It was also a bit chilly out with small gusts of wind. I am glad I brought my cloak with me. To add to that, it was raining lightly. You could tell if you looked out to the lake where the thousands of raindrops made thousands of ripples on the surface. Since Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all on the team, I sat next to Neville. Most of the students were all ready outside. The Hufflepuffs were waving flags with their crest on it. In the Ravenclaw stands, I saw that Luna Lovegood was wearing her Gryffindor lion head on her shoulders.

A few minutes later, a loud voice said, “Welcome to the first quidditch match of the year!�

It was followed by a series of loud cheers, whistles, and stomps. The voice clearly wasn’t Lee Jordan’s since he graduated, and I didn’t recognize the new announcer’s voice. I’m sure that most of the Gryffindors felt that whoever it was would not take the place of Lee Jordan in our hearts.

“Now to welcome the Hufflepuff team!� the voice shouted as the Hufflepuff quidditch team flew out and went around the field. The Hufflepuff section roared and waved their flags furiously as our section booed and hissed loudly. Neither side takes it personally, thankfully. It’s all in good fun.

“And here is the Gryffindor team!� the voice shouted moments later. A flurry of crimson and gold flew up and circled the field as our section broke out into shouts and cheers. I clapped loudly. Harry, Ron, and Ginny waved to Neville and me. Thankfully, both Ron and Ginny looked liked they had gotten over their nerves because each of them wore matching Weasley grins. It must’ve been all of the applause that cured them. Alicia Spinnet and the Hufflepuff captain, who I vaguely recognized, shook hands and then flew up into the air, taking their positions. Ron guarded the goal posts as he flew continuously from one side to the other. Behind me, Colin Creevy was snapping pictures furiously.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and immediately the quaffle was in Gryffindor possession. Our section of the stands roared as Alicia flew past, dodging the bludgers, to the other side. Just as quickly, a Hufflepuff chaser managed to grab it, and flew off in the opposite direction. While all of this was going on, the announcer noted every move. I searched for Harry, spotting him a bit above the game, squinting for any sign of the golden snitch. As soon as I looked back at where the quaffle was, it flew through one of the Gryffindor goal posts. Ron barely missed saving it from going through. The Hufflepuff section applauded loudly.

“10-0, Hufflepuff,� the announcer said. “This is going to be interesting, folks.�

The Slytherin section was beginning to remember the lyrics and tune to ‘Weasley Is Our King.� Ron looked like he was going to be sick. The Gryffindor team once again got possession as Ginny flew past with the quaffle, scoring quickly as the Hufflepuff keeper missed saving it by a mile. She pumped her fist into the air as our section broke out in mass cheers. She obviously makes a very good chaser.

Ten minutes later, the score was 80-20 in favor of Gryffindor. Ron had shut the Slytherins up when he had made seven saves. Two of those saves, not one, but two of them, were spectacular. He had even made ten of our points when he blocked the quaffle from going in by flying to the other side and hitting it away with the end of his broomstick. It went so fast that no one wanted to get in its way. It went straight through the top goal post at the Hufflepuff end. I could tell all ready that even if we somehow lost, we would still have a party for that save.

I turned my attention to Harry, who still had not seen the snitch yet. All of a sudden, Harry flew down and across, to the other side of the field. The Hufflepuff seeker saw him, and dived as well, but Harry was all ready miles in front of him. As we watched Harry and the Hufflepuff seeker dive, all of the students in the stands held their breaths. Harry suddenly crashed into the ground, not being able to pull up out of the dive soon enough. We held our breaths even longer until Harry wearily held up the golden snitch which had his fingers clasped around it. We rooted and whistled as Madam Hooch hovered over him to see if he was okay.

“And that’s the game!� the announcer cried. “230-20, Gryffindor!� His voice was barely audible over the Gryffindor bellows. The students flooded down to the field to see the teams. Some Gryffindors carried Ron through the crowd as he grinned from ear to ear. When Madam Hooch announced that Harry was fine, another wave of students heaved Harry up and carried him as well. When they let him down, he spotted me and came over. Ron and Ginny were all ready well on their way back to the castle. He wrapped me up in a big soggy hug as he laughed.

“We won, Hermione!�

“I saw,� I said grinning. “You were great!� When I breathed, I breathed in that scent that solely belonged to Harry. It is a nice smell; it reminds me of being at home for Christmas, even though I haven’t done that in a while. It is hard to completely pin down what the smell reminds me of. It’s a mixture of all of the good things in life, like trips out into the country and going sledding in the winter.

As soon as we broke apart, Harry just as suddenly brought me into another lung-crushing hug. “I’m so happy!� he said.

“No way. I couldn’t tell,� I joked, but I barely managed to say it.

He let go of me and scratched his head sheepishly. “Whoops, sorry about that.�

“It’s no problem,� I said, rubbing my arms. “You almost suffocated me, but still, it’s no big deal,� I joked with a laugh.

We made our way inside as the rain fell slightly more than earlier. Everyone was soaking wet as we overflowed the Entrance Hall. It was nice and warm inside. The newly waxed hardwood floors were rapidly covered with rainwater and mud from our shoes. I could practically see the steam come out of Flich’s ears as we quickly went to our common rooms, not wanting to get in trouble with him.

When the Gryffindor crowd entered the common room, everyone congratulated the team. We weren’t about to have a party, especially since most of us had homework to do. It was only the afternoon, and any party would probably be held after dinner. I went up to the girls’ dormitory to grab my books. When I came downstairs into the common room, all of the students were doing homework. I took a seat on the cushioned ledge of the window and took out my Care of Magical Creatures book. Ron and Harry came over to me, still looking exhausted, with their books in hand.

“Can you help us with our homework, Hermione?� asked Ron.

“Sure,� I said. “But I’m not doing it for you. We can do it together.�

That response was accepted by both of them, and then we opened our books. As I flipped through the pages, the rain lightly tapped on the glass of the window. Rain has always been very calming for me. A cold breeze occasionally slipped through, but thankfully, there was the fire in the fireplace providing the warmth.

“Okay,� Ron started. “‘Question one: What kind of species is the Golden Snidget?’�

“Bird,� Harry replied automatically.

“Impressive,� said Ron.

Harry laughed. “Don’t count on it. That’s pretty much all I know about it.� Harry looked down at his paper and said, “Okay, my turn. ‘Question two: What are the properties of the Golden Snidget that make it different from other species of bird?’�

“Well,� I said as I began to write on my parchment, “The Golden Snidget is a fast flier with remarkable capabilities in changing direction at a given time. It is completely round and has a long, thin beak and the Golden Snidget has red eyes.�

“Hmmm, that sounds like one weird bird,� Ron said. “How come I haven’t seen any around?�

“They’re extremely rare,� I replied. “They even have sanctuaries for them around the world.�

“That makes sense,� said Harry as we all finished writing.

“‘Question three:’� I started, “‘why did the Golden Snidget almost become extinct and what have we done now to help them survive?’�

There was a long silence.

“Ron, it’s your question,� Harry said.

Ron flipped through some pages and then read out of the book, “‘The Golden Snidget's feathers and eyes are so highly prized that it was at one time in danger of being hunted to extinction by wizards.’� He stopped, comprehending what he just read. “Gross!� he exclaimed. “So wizards used to go around catching these things and then they’d pluck their feathers off, pop their eyes out, throw the rest of them to the ground and say ‘Have a nice day?’� he said making a disgusted face.

Harry laughed as he was writing. “That is pretty gross,� he agreed.

“It’s true, though,� I said. “Ron, there’s still another part to the question…� I said, trailing off, leaving him room to answer.

“Right,� he said, scanning the rest of the chapter on the Golden Snidget. “Well, there’s worldwide sanctuaries like Hermione said, and if you either capture or injure one, you’ll get a severe penalty,� he said summing it up.

We wrote that down and Ron read the next question. “‘Question four: What modern pastime is affected by the existence of the Golden Snidget?’�

“Um…pass?� Harry said.

I chuckled. “You of all people, Harry. Quidditch, of course!�

“Really?� he asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. “Golden Snitch…Golden Snidget… It might just be me, but they sound a bit alike, don’t they?�

Harry clapped a hand to his forehead as it dawned on him. “Well, that makes sense,� he said to himself as he scribbled it down.

Ron and I shared a knowing look as we grinned.

When we finished all of our homework, it was time for dinner. None of the Gryffindors ate very much, for the obvious reason. They were saving their appetite for the party that was bound to happen. Even I only ate a few bites of my food. Why not join in the celebrations, right?

After dinner was over, the Gryffindors charged up the stairs to start the party. When we got into the common room, Dean Thomas had all ready hung up his large Gryffindor banner, and Neville had gone down into the kitchens to get all of the food, which he made float behind him in the air. All kinds of food were presented to us hungry students on a few tables that someone nicked out of a random storage closet.

One student I recognized as one of Ginny’s friends stood up on a chair holding a butterbeer and shouted, “To the best bloody quidditch team in the entire school!�

Everyone roared in agreement and then everyone killed each other to get to the food. I stayed with Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who were continuously getting clapped on the back (especially Harry and Ron, the two stars of today’s game). The grins on the team member’s faces spread from ear to ear. Not only that, but it was dreadfully contagious. I found myself grinning along with them as did everyone else.

The noise of the party was incredible. Balloons were being popped and everyone seemed to be shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Having fun?� Ginny asked me as we got some more food.

“WHAT?� I shouted. “IT’S TOO LOUD! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!�

“ARE. YOU. HAVING. FUN?� Ginny said, shouting out each word separately. Even then, I could barely hear her.

I nodded. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while. Someone popped a balloon in my face as confetti and streamers burst out of it, covering me with a variety of colors. I saw Harry grin, holding the burst balloon.

“WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?� I shouted, trying to be heard above the noise.

“I WAS TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION WHICH IS CLEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IN HERE, ISN’T IT?� Harry shouted back.

Just then, Professor McGonagall burst through the door. Everyone who noticed immediately shut up. But then again, that was only a couple people. Barely anyone noticed.

“Children!� she shouted, wearily.

No one responded.

“CHILDREN!!!� Her voice barely carried across to where Harry, Ginny, and I were, which was only three feet away.

She noticed us standing there and said, “Nice job out there Potter. And you too Ms. Weasley. It’s thanks to you that I still have that cup in my classroom. Don’t lose it for me.�

Harry and Ginny obviously didn’t hear what she said, but they nodded anyways.

“DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF THIS?� she shouted to us, referring to the party.

“DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THEY WILL LISTEN TO ME?� Harry shouted back.

Professor McGonagall just sighed, without putting up a fight. She looked a bit flustered as if she was having a party herself.

“OKAY THEN. JUST AS LONG AS YOU’RE NOT LATE TO CLASS TOMORROW!� she shouted as she closed the door. We could tell that she wasn’t actually mad. Filch probably sent her up here to shut us up. I guess she'd have to tell him it was a failed mission, then.

Harry gave us all another round of butterbeer as he drank all of his bottle in a few gulps.

A game of limbo started up in the middle of the room. They were using a long wooden coat rack as the limbo pole.

“Limbo!� Harry shouted out. “One of the best games ever!�

I watched him as he went to the end of the line.

“Oh, come on Hermione!� he shouted as he noticed I hadn’t followed him. He came back and took my hand, dragging me with him to the end of the line.

“You must have had too much butterbeer, Harry,� I said. “I’m not going to limbo.�

“I have not,� Harry said with a straight face as he went under the pole. “And you must!� he said, beckoning to me from the other side.

I stood there and shook my head.

“Come on Hermione!� people shouted behind me. “You’re holding up the line!� some people yelled.

I sighed loudly and went under the pole as well. Harry clapped as we went to the end of the line.

“Now was that too hard?� he asked jokingly as I shook my head.

By this time, the pole was at medium height and everyone was singing a Weird Sisters song for the limbo music. I had to admit, it was really fun and it loosened me up a lot.

Now it had gotten to the hard part. The coat rack…I mean the limbo pole…had reached an all time low and everyone who was left was getting out now. In front of me, Harry’s nose had touched the pole, and that got him out.

“Come on Hermione! You can do it!� he shouted.

I closed my eyes. This probably wasn’t going to be pretty. When I opened them again, surprise, surprise, I made it! I won the game! That was the first semi-athletic game I had ever won!

“Woo, Hermione!� people cheered. I laughed.

Harry hugged me for the third time this day. This was weird since he normally isn’t the hugging type of person.

“I’m not hugging you too tightly this time, am I?� he said with a smile.

I grinned and shook my head. It was actually quite nice. Again, for the third time this day, Harry completely filled my senses. I flung my arms around his neck and shouted, “I won!� into his ear.

“And the prize for the Limbo Queen!� someone shouted as two people heaved a bucket of melted ice (really, really cold water) on my head and Harry’s head. I drew a long, shuddering gasp as the water went down my back. I suddenly felt numb, and Colin Creevy was snapping pictures.

“A fitting prize,� Harry said. “I’m glad I got to share it with you,� he said with a grin.

Right at this moment, I am still soaked, and the party is still going on. It hasn’t gone down at all. Everyone is still as hyped up as before, even though it is obviously very late into the night. That limbo game was the highlight of tonight, though. Maybe it was butterbeer that messed with my instincts. I know I should be sleeping, but I don’t feel like sleeping right now. I do know one thing, though. The next time someone asks me what to do when they’re feeling down, or sad, or bored, I’ll just tell them that all they need is a little limbo. Hey, look! Another game is starting!

- H. Granger

Chapter X: Frosty Solitude


Now if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that this little book has been going places. Today I found it in a storage closet when I was getting out some tables to sit at outside. If people haven’t been reading this, then I’m fine. The curious part is that I couldn’t find this at all in the past month.

Well today is Halloween. Almost everyday there's been You-Know-Who's name in the Daily Prophet. The stories and sightings have gotten progressively worse and worse about the war. You-Know-Who has been seen in all kinds of countries around the world. Probably getting more supporters, I guess. There have even been a few mysterious deaths of Death Eaters who had quit...Death Eating? There wasn't any evidence at all, but everyone says it was You-Know-Who who did it. Since this has been going on, we've also had a lot of DA meetings to get ready for the Final Battle...and any other battles that we might happen to be involved in. I'm sure that we'll be involved in the Final Battle since we are so close to Harry and Harry is, of course, going to be in the Final Battle. Other than the subject of the war, I’ve been being loaded with homework since the O.W.L.s are coming up. Since the war seems to be a greatly talked about subject, I think I’ll go back to writing about it because there is something bothering me.

This morning in Muggle Studies I was talking to Malfoy about the war. The war is a subject that I should put on a list of things never to bring up in a conversation. Ever. I walked into Muggle Studies and sat down at my desk, which happened to be next to Malfoy. I never really wondered about how we became friends, or close to the definition of “friends.� When I think about it, it seems kind of odd. A Malfoy and a Weasley? As friends? To me that seems a bit odd, especially since it was only last year that he was making fun of me and my family. I found it better not to question his motives, though.

“Good morning, Weasley,� Malfoy said as I sat down.

“Good morning,� I said as I put my schoolbag down.

“Today is Halloween once again,� he said casually as he scribbled something from a book onto a piece of parchment.

“Yes, I was quite aware of that. I’m looking forward to the feast tonight,� I replied.

“So am I,� he said. “Especially the pumpkin pie. It’s good to know that they will actually be using those enormous pumpkins for a good cause.�

“Pumpkin pie?� I echoed. “A good cause?�

“Better than letting them sit and rot,� Malfoy replied.

There was a small silence, and then I said, or asked, rather, something that had been on my mind and bothering me for quite a while. Would Malfoy leave school and become a Death Eater just like his father? It was a possibility…Malfoy had always seemed like he wanted to be just like his dad.

“You’re not leaving school, are you?� I asked.

He looked up with a slight look of surprise on his face. “Of course I’m leaving the school. Yes, I know it’s going to be a hard year without me when that time comes, but it’s bound to happen,� he joked.

“No,� I said. “I mean, are you leaving early?�

His expression changed into puzzlement as he looked at me. “No. Why would I do that?�

“Oh, I dunno…� I said trailing off. I didn’t really feel like going further into the subject anymore.

“Yes you do know,� he said. “So spit it out, Weasley.�

“It’s nothing,� I said, trying to wave off the topic.

“It’s never ‘nothing.’ ‘Nothing’ means ‘everything,’� Malfoy argued.

“Well, you know about the war,� I muttered.

“Of course I know about the war,� Malfoy said as his gaze turned cold. “What does that have to do with me leaving school early? Don’t you think I want to graduate?�

“Of course you want to graduate,� I said in an apologizing tone.

“So what’s this about me leaving school early?� Malfoy said accusingly.

I felt trapped. I should have never brought up the subject in the first place.

“Well?� he asked, expectantly.

“I just thought…�

“You thought what?�

“I thought you might leave school to join your father…�

“Don’t you think I spend enough time with him over the summer and on break?�

“Yes,� I muttered. I felt like a house elf obeying its master’s orders with answers of “yes sir� and “anything for you, sir.�

“So then what in the world would make me drop out of school for some extra time with him?�

“I thought you might become a Death Eater like your father,� I finally said.

I watched as his expression contorted into anger. “WHAT!?� he exploded. A few students around us jumped a bit out of their seats. He quickly regained his cool composure. “What?� he said again through gritted teeth. “I thought you of all people,� he muttered.

I was startled at his response. Yes, I thought the question might make him a little mad, but definitely not this much. “I’m…I never…I didn’t mean to offend you,� I sputtered.

“I can assure you that I will never, ever become a Death Eater and I would never, ever allow someone to brand me with that disgusting mark as if I were their cattle,� he said coldly as his sharp grey eyes glared daggers at me.

“But I thought you wanted to be just like your father,� I challenged, despite the position I put myself into.

Malfoy laughed mirthlessly. “Just like dear old dad?� he questioned. “You really think so?� he frowned. “I hate my father,� he said, which greatly surprised me. “He tries to control my life. I hate it. He wants me to be perfect and have perfect grades like Granger. No one is bloody perfect, but he won’t listen to that! I have no friends because the only people my father socializes with are Death Eaters. Their sons and daughters are all spoiled and don’t care about anyone but themselves. Try taking that for three hours while my father has tea and scones with Voldemort himself,� Malfoy spat.

My mouth dropped open a bit. Thankfully no one was around to listen since they all got up and went to another seat after Malfoy’s first outburst.

“But…� I trailed off. “Why do you always act so mean to Harry, Ron, and Hermione?�

“It’s what my father would have done, isn’t it? Hate on the Gryffindor heroes. I don’t actually hate the mudbl-I mean Granger or your brother. Well he is very annoying actually. But Potter is a different story. We both strongly dislike each other…who am I kidding. I hate him and he hates me on our own terms. End of story,� he said acidly, glaring at me coldly.

“Why did you choose to become my friend?� I asked. This was also a question that I badly wanted answered.

“Why not?� Malfoy fired back. “For once, I’d like someone to walk with. Not to follow around like I do with my father, and not to be followed around like many students do to me. I need someone who treats me like an equal and who I can have a normal conversation with. I don’t want to be scolded and I don’t want to be praised. I want to talk to someone wants an actual answer when they ask ‘How’s your day?’ I don’t want another enemy, I have enough of those. I want a bloody friend, is that too much to ask? Just one and I’d be eternally happy. I thought I found that in you, Ginevra, but I guess I was wrong,� he finished and stared straight ahead without saying another word.

It was strange to hear my first name (especially my full name) come out of his pale, thin lips. It was nice, but it was so unfamiliar. I only heard my full name when I was in big trouble, or when Fred and George tease me. Right then I felt in big trouble and very guilty. I should have never asked him that question. It was wrong of me.

‘Aren’t you happy you know the truth now?’ a little voice in the back of my mind kept asking. It was nice, but I would rather not know than insult him like that. It looked like he was really hurt.

During class whenever I glanced at him, he was always staring straight ahead or jotting down notes. He had completely clammed up, almost the same way he was when he first came to this class. Only now he wasn’t talking to me.

At the end of class when we were getting up and leaving, I decided to apologize. I knew it wouldn’t really help, but I just wanted to tell him that I was sorry for bringing up the subject.

“Malfoy?� I asked tentatively. He didn’t even look up.

“Well,� I continued anyways, “I just wanted to let you know that I am sincerely sorry for saying that you might become a Death Eater. I didn’t know how you felt about it…and I’m just sorry, okay?�

Malfoy glanced up and looked me straight in the eye. His grey eyes sharpened and then he said, “I think it would be best if you did not talk to me, Ginevra,� he said coolly as he left the classroom, leaving me in it alone.

When I left the classroom, I felt so ashamed. For some reason, it really hurt when he said that he didn’t want to talk to me even though I haven’t been friendly with him for that long. He didn’t go and question me like a criminal…why did I have to go and question him? My stomach was tied in multiple knots as I played the conversation over and over again in my head.

Even now, I feel like a big jerk. I wouldn’t blame him if he never forgave me or even spoke to me again. But then again, how was I supposed to know he hated his father and that his life was the same as (or even worse) than everyone else’s? I couldn’t have known. But it isn’t really my right to know, is it? I feel so confused, hurt, and miserable right now.

At the Halloween feast, everyone was chatting loudly and black and orange banners hung on the walls. Hundreds of candles floated in midair, but thankfully, any wax that fell dissolved before it landed on anyone’s head. Huge orange pumpkins dominated the corners of the room, each as tall as Hagrid himself. You had to watch out when you walked into the Great Hall and be careful not to trip over their enormous green and leafy vines.

I sat down next to Hermione, who immediately noticed something was wrong. Her face showed instant concern.

“What’s wrong, Ginny?� she asked.

“Hmm? Why do you think something is wrong?� I asked, blinking.

She squinted her eyes for a moment even though I was sitting right next to her. “You look like someone died,� she observed.

I heaved a sigh, and then she raised her eyebrows quickly. “Someone did die?� she said, alarmed.

I shook my head. “No, it’s not that…I made a mistake,� I said hanging my head. I told Hermione all about my conversation with Malfoy as everyone waited for the feast to begin. Thankfully Harry and Ron weren’t downstairs yet to hear anything I said.

“That’s too bad,� Hermione said when I was done.

“What do you mean?� I asked.

“Well from what you told me about the conversation, Malfoy must have trusted you a lot,� she said. “And then you suggested that he was going to become a Death Eater which is completely against his personal morals. Coming from you, that must’ve destroyed him,� Hermione concluded.

“Oh, thanks Hermione. That makes me feel so much better,� I said sarcastically.

“I’m just saying that what you said probably made Malfoy upset,� Hermione said.

“I knew that,� I said. “But what should I do about it?�

Hermione looked at me. “Nothing,� she said. “Just wait until he talks to you again. If you’re friends, it shouldn’t be long.�

“And what if he never talks to me again?� I asked.

“Sorry, Gin,� Hermione said looking at me sadly. “I don’t know what you can do.�

I sat there feeling numb. I had just lost a friend and possibly our only shot at getting Gryffindors and Slytherins to get along. So much for school unification and it’s my fault. More importantly, I just probably just lost a good friend. We hadn’t been friends for a long time but we had a lot in common and so much to talk about every time we saw each other. There were really never any awkward pauses…except for today.

Throughout the feast I stared at him, trying to catch his eye, hoping that maybe there was a hint of forgiveness but Malfoy didn’t even spare me a glance. He purposely sat with his back facing the Gryffindor table and did not turn his head around, not once.

Even with all of the chatting around me, I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. In the midst of all of the students, I felt numb and alone. I kept thinking back on our conversation in class, and I pictured the piercing frosty stare he gave me when I suggested that he would become a Death Eater. That frosty glare locked me into a frosty solitude, and from what I’ve been thinking, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Chapter XI: I Hate the Thought of Losing You

Hmm…I found this under a flower vase on the mantel the in common room. At least I have it now. I must’ve left it there from the quidditch game victory party. The weird part is that that was a month and a half ago and I didn’t notice it there until now.

It’s November all ready. I wouldn’t believe it if the bare trees and temperature outside weren’t there to prove it. We have been having frequent DA meetings due to the war going on right now. It is incredibly frightening. Muggles are being tortured and people are being mysteriously killed. Dementors and giants have both joined the ‘dark side,’ which is really bad news for us. Fortunately, the Order of the Phoenix has many new members according to Professor Lupin. He tries to tell us what’s been going on at the headquarters without telling us too much. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but when Sirius died, Harry inherited the house, much to Kreacher and Mrs. Black’s portrait’s dismay. So that means that Grimmauld Place is still the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. I’ve noticed the Professor Dumbledore has been absent from the school a couple times. I guess during that time he goes to the headquarters to keep up on what’s going on there. I really need to keep this journal hidden, especially since I just wrote some pretty confidential information in it. Harry told me that Professor Dumbledore had asked to see him the other day and that Harry asked what he could do to help out. Harry told me the Professor Dumbledore said that it would be best to continue holding DA meetings and try to unify the school. I recall the sorting hat’s song in fifth year doing a bit more than hinting about that.

“Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we’ll crumble from within�

Ginny hasn’t been looking very well lately. She doesn’t talk very much and always seems glum. The farthest event I can pin it to is the day that she told me that she confronted Malfoy about him becoming a Death Eater…or rather, not becoming one, as it seems. She says that Malfoy still hasn't said anything to her and she barely ever talks. I had no idea that he meant that much to her. I mean, it's not all the time that she's down, but even some of the time is enough to worry about. I would be a lot more worried about it, except that sometimes I see Malfoy look at her when her back is turned like he wants to say something, but then he always decides not to. I would tell Ginny about it, but I don't want to interfere. I know that Malfoy is bound to talk to her sometime, so I will leave it alone.

Isn't Muggle Studies the class that Malfoy and Ginny are in together? I went down there earlier to say hello to the professor. It's a habit I picked up when I dropped the class in third year because it was just too much for me.

I rapped on the classroom door with my knuckles. I waited for a moment, but there was no response. I was about to try again when I noticed it was slightly ajar. I stepped in quietly and closed the door with a click. I looked around for the professor, but then I spotted her hunched over a row of open drawers of a file cabinet, searching for something.

“Professor?� I called out. She looked up in surprise and in doing so; hit her head on one of the open drawers, making a loud sound.

Professor Channing is a very funny witch. She is tall and slim with long legs. She has smooth dark brown hair and thick-rimmed black glasses. With a glance, you would think she was a ballerina or a dancer of another sort. The funny part is that she is just the opposite. She has a severe case of clumsiness and tries to avoid walking around the classroom when she teaches. When she does walk around, she usually bumps into things and knocks them down every which way. It's no surprise that every item in her room has a set of Unbreakable Charms cast on it, or else her classroom would be in shambles.

“Yes dear?� she responded in a strangled voice as she touched her head where it collided with the open drawer.

“Oh, I just dropped in to say hello. Sorry if I disturbed you,� I apologized.

“It is fine,� she said waving it off. "I was just searching for a copy of the test I'm supposed to be giving soon, but I seemed to have misplaced it...� she said, flipping through a stack of papers. “Actually, I was hoping you'd drop by soon, Hermione. I have something to ask you.�

“Sure,� I said.

“Actually it's more of a favor,� she said as she picked up another pile of papers a scuffled through them. “I was hoping you'd be available to speak to a class of mine. You are the only student I've had that was brought up by muggles and went to a muggle school.� This was true because all of the other muggle-borns chose other classes that they didn't find pointless.

“What would you like me to talk about?� I asked

“I was hoping you could tell us about everyday life at a muggle school. You know, how the people treat each other, some everyday technology muggles rely on; do you know what I mean?� she asked as her hand flitted to her hair, where she kept a pencil in the bun. She jotted something down on a spare piece of parchment. “So do you think you can do it? It'll be in a couple weeks and I can give a note to whichever teacher you have during that time so you can come out and talk.�

“That sounds great,� I responded. “I'd love to do it.�

“Fabulous!� she said as she went through another stack. She looked up at me. “Can you keep this a secret? It's supposed to be a surprise.�

I nodded.

“And another thing,� she added. “This week I'm going to tell them about it, and that they're going to have to wear muggle clothes for the lesson. You can wear some muggle clothes if you'd like as well,� she said. “It's all part of the lesson.�

“Sure,� I said brightly.

“Thanks Hermione,� she said as she pulled a folder out of the stack. “Ah ha! I found it!� Right then all of the papers in the folder slipped out and flooded the floor.

“Do you need a hand?� I offered.

“I’m fine,� she said as she bent down to collect them into a messy pile. “Don’t forget, two weeks from now!� she called.

I grinned as I left the classroom. I could hardly wait! It seemed like so much fun. It's easy to tell why I love this teacher to death. Ha! And the idea of someone forcing Malfoy into muggle attire. That is just too good. It'll be hard not to tell Ginny, though. I hope that lesson will cheer Ginny up. Or that Malfoy finally gets over himself and starts talking to her again.

That afternoon was light and chilly with the sun peeking out from behind a sparse white cloud that was drifting along quickly from the small gusts of wind. We were in Care of Magical Creatures, where Hagrid was talking about the N.E.W.T.s. All of the professors were hitting up on that subject quite a bit, and thankfully I’ve all ready started studying. I’ve tried thinking about my career path and I can honestly say that I have no idea what I plan to do. I do find several fields interesting though. Perhaps I could become an Auror for the Ministry? Or maybe report for the Daily Prophet? Becoming a Healer at St. Mungo’s isn’t out of the question, either.

After the lesson, I decided to talk to Harry while Ron was in another argument with Dean about the Chudley Cannons and the West Ham football team.

“Harry?� I said when I caught up with him; we were walking back to the castle.

“Yes? Oh, hullo Hermione,� he said with a grin.

“I was just wondering…you still haven’t told anyone else about the prophecy, have you?�

“Actually…no.�

“Well I was thinking…maybe you should tell Ron and Ginny. They can help you through this too, you know.�

I had been thinking, and I always seemed to wonder why he hadn’t told either of them. Maybe not Ginny because they weren’t that close, but surely he would have told Ron?

Harry was silent for a moment and I looked at him as another small gust of wind ruffled his all ready untidy jet black hair. “I was thinking about that too,� he finally said. “I want to tell them, but I don’t really want to bring it up and spoil everyone’s mood.�

“Well I can tell you right now that Ginny doesn’t have a good mood to spoil,� I said. “So you don’t have to worry about that. And Ron would want to know anyways. If you want, I could help you tell them,� I offered.

Harry looked at me gratefully. “I would really like that, Hermione,� he said, almost with a smile.

I glanced up at the cloud that was barely covered the sun. Small rays poked through spots where the cloud was less dense.

“Do you ever look up at the clouds?� I said suddenly.

“What?� Harry responded with a puzzled look on his face.

“Erm…sorry…I just meant, do you ever notice the different shapes they come in and how the sun can turn them different colors?�

“Erm…no,� Harry said simply. “I guess I’ve never really looked before.� He shielded his eyes and stared up at the cloud above us.

“If I were an artist, I’d do a painting of one,� I said with a sigh. I was never good at art. My stick figure people were barely recognizable. “Do you want to know something I’ve always imagined?�

Harry nodded. “Okay.�

“When I picture the Final Battle…I always think that the sky will turn red. I have no idea why, but that’s how I picture the sky during the Final Battle.�

“Who knows?� Harry said. “It might happen.�

I snorted. “When has the sky ever been red?�

Harry shrugged.

“So when do you want to tell them? Next week?� I asked, suddenly changing the subject back. I wanted to give him time to think it over.

Harry looked at me with a side glance. “I was actually thinking about telling them tonight at dinner if that’s okay.�

“Of course that’s okay,� I said. “I just didn’t want you to feel like I was pushing you.�

Harry touched my shoulder. “Thanks,� he said as we entered the castle.

That night at dinner, Harry was the first to speak about it.

“Ron? Ginny?� he asked to get their attention.

“What?� they both said.

“Well there’s kind of something I need to tell you.�

“There’s a loony named Voldemort following you around and trying to kill you?� Ron joked.

I nudged him in the ribs so he shut up. “Honestly,� I said as I rolled my eyes.

Then Harry went on to tell them all about the prophecy that was made and how either Harry will have to kill Voldemort or else he will have to die. Both of their reactions were close to what I had pictured.

“But…you really don’t think you’ll have to…and You-Know-Who will actually…. Has your scar been hurting lately?� Ron said which a worried look.

“It’s constantly been prickling ever since he came back, so I guess my scar can’t really help that much anymore,� Harry responded.

Ginny was pale. “Are you sure you have to kill him?� she asked.

Harry nodded. “Or else he kills me.�

During that whole conversation, I felt a bit sick thinking about losing my best friend. Even after dinner, I decided to prowl the hallways, even with the prospect of getting caught by Mrs. Norris of Filch. I could always say I was out patrolling the hallways though…right? Wow, I worry way too much.

I was roaming around the hallways and the friendly suits of armor by day cast long, dark shadows. With only a dim amount of light, they looked menacing and scary. I was starting to regret coming out to walk around. The candle I was holding began to melt the wax and drip. Why had I even brought a candle? I had a perfectly good wand upstairs in my schoolbag. Some of it landed on my hand and I bit my lip as it burned. I quickly put the candle down on a nearby table so that I could scrape off the all ready hardened wax on my hand.

As I turned around, I bumped into something and almost lost balance. By then, I knew that I definitely should have stayed in the Gryffindor tower. I feared for the worst as I turned to see who I had bumped into.

But there was no one there. Or so I thought.

“Hello?� I whispered into the dark, forbidding hallway. It was so dark, that it looked like the hallway led into pitch black nothingness.

“Hi,� the nothingness answered back to me.

I squinted my eyes, but I saw absolutely nothing beyond my small area of light. I thought I must’ve gone mad and was hearing voices. This voice sounded oddly familiar though. Even more familiar than my own thoughts.

“Harry?� I said softly, not trying to be loud.

“Well, yeah, who else do you think it could be?�

“Well it’s kind of hard identifying someone when they’re wearing an invisibility cloak,� I hissed into an empty space of air, hoping that I was facing him.

“Oh…right,� he mumbled as he slipped it off. “Sorry about that,� he said sheepishly.

“What are you doing out here?� I questioned as I eyed the silvery cloak that shimmered even in the lack of light.

“I was about to ask you the same question,� he said, in turn eyeing the melting candle that I temporarily put on the table. “I decided to follow you when I noticed you sneaking out of the common room.�

“Ooh, you’re stalking me, aren’t you?� I joked. “Following me under the protection of your invisibility cloak. You know you can go to jail for that stuff, right?�

At first Harry gave me a strange look, but then went along with the joke. “Okay, you caught me,� he grinned. “I guess the gig is up.�

I giggled. “No actually,� I said, with a more serious tone. “I just wanted to walk around and try to think.�

“You do too much of that all ready. I thought you might need a break,� Harry said. “What did you want to think about?�

“Well…� I said. “Whenever I think about the war, my stomach does a back flip. I hate thinking about it.�

“Yeah,� Harry agreed. “Is there anything particular to want to talk about?� he asked softly. I looked up into his eyes and saw the mirrored image of the flame from the candle flickering.

“I hate the thought of losing you,� I said as I looked down at the outline of my feet. “Oh Harry,� I muttered. “Why did it have to be you?� I said almost choking on my words from the lump in my throat. I looked up at him again with tears brimming in my eyes. I hated being tortured every day by the thought of losing my best friend at any given moment.

“Hermione, Hermione,� Harry said as he took me in his arms and stroked my hair. “Don’t you know that I hate the thought of losing you too? As much as I’d like to, I can’t change the fact that I’m the one Voldemort is after.�

“I know, but…� I said trailing off lamely, not even finishing my sentence.

“We’ll survive. Of course we’ll survive. So don’t forget that okay?� he told me as he looked me in the eye.

I nodded.

“So do you want to get back to the common room now?� he said as he picked up the candle for me.

I nodded again, not being able to find my voice.

With that, Harry draped the invisibility cloak over both of us and we set off back to the Gryffindor tower. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost him.

- H. Granger

Chapter XII: The Ones We Love

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. First of all, I found this in Hermione's trunk when I went to go get a book for her! She must have found it when I left it on the mantel a few weeks ago! Thankfully, she must have not seen anything, and she hasn't written in it either. I hope she doesn’t go looking for it…

Second of all, there have been more articles in the Daily Prophet about You-Know-Who and what they say he's been up to. There have been many muggle torturing incidents, and Dad says that the Ministry has been swamped with work. The Ministry and the Order both have been sending out wizards to perform mind-wipes on the muggles and witnesses. There have also been a couple muggle deaths in Southern England. I hope this isn't his idea of 'warming up'; the idea of that is disgusting.

Third of all this week has been interesting, on a happier note, because I had two surprising classes of Muggle Studies this week. During the first class this week, the professor told us about the special lesson we'd be having next session.

“Class?� she called. “Class! May I have your attention now?� she said in a commanding tone as she stood at her podium.

Everyone fell silent as she paused. Malfoy sat across the room, not looking or talking to me as usual. He stared past me and I looked down at my books.

“Since our subject lately has been that of everyday muggle schools, in our next session we will be having a special guest speak to us about muggle schools and the kinds of things that go on there everyday.� She paused again as she adjusted her glasses.

Students began to titter around me. A guest speaker is always a good thing. A guest speaker means no homework.

“To add to this, we will be dressing up in muggle clothing for a bit of added fun. It will be basically a free grade. All you have to do is show up next session wearing muggle clothes,� Professor Channing said as she looked at us over the top of her glasses. To me this sounded like a good idea. The only time I’ve really worn muggle clothes was to go to the Quidditch World Cup. “I do have several articles of clothing you may borrow if you do not happen to own muggle attire, but don't worry," she said after she noticed a pair of girls looking sullen, “it's nothing muggles would consider ‘unstylish.’�

All of us knew what was ‘in’ or ‘out’ in muggle standards after reading up on their culture. I recall a previous lesson when the girls next to me flipped through a muggle catalogue and laughed at all of the silly muggle styles that were currently in fashion. Some of them didn’t look so bad to me.

I took another glance at Malfoy, who wore a slight look of disgust on his face after hearing about the clothes.

“Won’t you be wearing muggle clothes too?� someone called out to the professor.

Professor Channing laughed and said, “Oh, no, I will let all of you have the fun.�

After the lesson was over, everyone who didn’t have muggle clothes flocked to the back of the room where the closet was. I noticed that Malfoy wasn’t among the lot of us. Was it possible that he actually owned muggle clothing? Maybe he wasn’t going to participate at all…but then he would get a failing grade. I know he wouldn’t do that without a reason, and that is not a valid reason. Well, I’d find out soon enough. With a murmur of ‘alohomora’ from Professor Channing, the door unlocked and creaked open. Boxes upon boxes were stacked on each other against the wall. In the center of the room were various muggle inventions with layers of dust covering them. They looked pretty odd. Knobs, levers, and buttons poked out everywhere. I wonder how muggles think up these things. Professor Channing scanned the box labels searching for the right one. Then she came to a fairly high stack, read the label, and got behind the boxes and with one big heave, she pushed them over.

“Is she mad?� a younger boy next to me whispered to his friend.

“All professors at Hogwarts are,� his friend whispered back.

The clothes had all spilled out, completely covering the floor in all types of fabric and designs. A Ravenclaw girl picked up a large hat with an enormous feather on it and looked at the professor with a cocked eyebrow.

“As you can see,� Professor Channing said, still trying to catch her breath, “most of these aren’t from current times. But it is your job to find the clothes that belong to this time period.�

A few students groaned as we trudged through the flood of clothes. I had to admit, it was fun going through the clothes. The first thing I picked up was a long brown dress with a white apron on the front. From what I had seen in my book, it was probably an American pioneer dress. Then I picked up a red silk dress with a beautiful design of flowers on it. Pink and blue flowers intertwined at the hems and along the sleeves. I then realized it must have been a Japanese kimono. The flower pattern would have been really pretty on some dress robes. After a few centuries of clothing, I finally grabbed what seemed like a safe choice. It was simply a pair of blue jeans and a white cotton t-shirt with the words: ‘Australia: It’s Bettah Down Undah’ in green writing with a picture of a kangaroo. I thought it was quite funny. I hoped that the clothes would fit, because if they didn’t, then I would have to hunt Hermione down and see if there was any spells to make it fit. I brought it back to the Gryffindor common room and left it in my trunk until the next session.

On the morning of the next session, I nearly forgot about the muggle clothes I had stashed in my trunk. I had only realized after I got out my robes to change into after I finished my shower. After realizing what had happened I opened my trunk and I pulled on my clothes. I turned to look in the mirror of the girls’ dormitory. I looked just like the muggle girls in my book! It was amazing what a simple change of clothes could do. I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail and slipped into a pair of flop-flaps that I had grabbed on the way out of Muggle Studies. …oh wait! They are called flip-flops, sorry. I just asked Hermione about that, and she says that they’re called flip-flops. That’s a funny name for a shoe if you ask me. And a rather odd design as well, now that I think about it. According to the information in my book, I looked normal. Ha…normal; what they call normal is what we call strange and vice versa. I then flip-flopped my way down to the common room where a few students gave me an odd look. Of course, there were also a few other Gryffindors dressed as muggles too, so I didn’t feel completely stupid.

I was about to leave for class when I noticed Hermione come down as I reached for my bag. Surprise, surprise! She was dressed as a muggle as well! She was wearing a grey Oxford shirt with a pressed white linen collar. The cuffs of her shirt were like that as well. She also wore a black pleated skirt and some kind of shiny black muggle shoes…I don’t know what they’re called, so I won’t even bother giving them a name.

“Hermione?� I said, shocked.

“Whoa,� someone else said from behind her. It was Harry, and he hung his mouth open.

“Yes?� she said as she turned around to look at him. Her hair was half pulled back, and looked very neat and tidy. From her half-ponytail, her brown hair curled neatly downwards.

Harry shut his mouth and looked flustered. “Er, nice clothes Hermione,� he said. “You make the best looking muggle I’ve ever seen.�

“Thanks.� Hermione’s cheeks tinged pink as she grinned. “Hey Ginny,� she said to me.

“I thought you didn’t have Muggle Studies anymore,� I said. “You look great, by the way.�

“Well I’m not supposed to tell you this,� she said as she dropped her voice, “but I’m the mysterious guest speaker. You look good yourself,� she added.

That made sense. “Oh okay. Are those your own clothes?� I asked.

Hermione nodded. “It was my uniform at the private school my parents sent me to before coming here. This pair was a bit big when I was younger, but it fits fine now.�

I looked at her hair, and she consciously touched it. “They had a thing for cleanliness and hygiene,� she said. “They didn’t like messy anything. Not even messy hair. Maybe I’ve done a bit too much,� she said thoughtfully. “After all, it’s only a lesson.�

“No, it’s not too much at all,� Harry said, jumping back into the conversation. “It’s perfect.�

Hermione grinned and her cheeks flushed pink. Why can’t my cheeks go pink when I blush? When I blush, they turn red, just like my hair. But anyways, back to the subject.

“Thanks,� she replied quietly.

They are so cute, but they are going to drive me mad if they don’t stop beating around the bush. I know that Harry definitely has a thing for Hermione, but Hermione obviously hasn’t realized it yet. Or at least, that’s what it looks like and Ron agrees with me.

After breakfast, Hermione and I picked up our schoolbags and made our way to Muggle Studies.

“We probably shouldn’t walk in together,� Hermione whispered to me as we neared the classroom. “I was supposed to keep my arrival in your class a secret.�

I nodded. “Okay, sure. I’ll go in first and you can wait a few moments before you come in,� I said, as I was about to walk into the classroom.

“One more thing,� Hermione said. “Try and act surprised, okay?�

I grinned. “Yeah, I will.�

I took my seat and looked at everyone around me. A few students were dressed like me with blue jeans and a cotton t-shirt. A couple wore athletic jerseys and someone wore a pair of overalls and a plaid shirt like a farmer. I noticed that Malfoy wasn’t there yet and made me wonder if he even planned on coming. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Malfoy himself entered the room looking particularly unhappy about his wardrobe selection. I didn’t see what was wrong though. He looked very, erm, handsome as he strode through the door and set his schoolbag down. He wore a trim black suit and under his suit jacket, he wore a dark blue shirt and a black tie around his neck. He looked like a young, sophisticated businessman in what looked like an Armani suit (well…that’s the only kind I know, but they look similar) and black loafers. That’s what he is, though, isn’t it? Or at least, that’s how his family is; sophisticated and businesslike. I could definitely imagine his pale pianist’s finger wrapped around the stem of a wine glass as his other hand signed an important business contract. His grey eyes fastened on mine as he noticed me looking at him. I turned away, embarrassed about staring. Malfoy’s cool manner shrugged it off as he stared at a wall. I wondered if he was ever going to talk to me again. I still felt plenty guilty about asking him that question, and he obviously hasn’t forgiven me yet. I feel torn because part of me thinks it would be best to forget about him, but my heart thinks that I should just wait for him to come around, if he ever does.

Hermione apparently looked surprised at Malfoy when she walked in right behind him. They were the only two in the class that took the private school route for choice of clothes. I noticed Professor Channing look at Hermione and smile apprehensively.

“Wow, Hermione!� I said loudly with a faux surprised tone. “Whatever could you be doing here?� Obviously acting wasn’t my strong point as Hermione giggled and Anthony Goldstein looked at me peculiarly because of my over-dramatic tone.

“Well I’m the surprise guest speaker,� Hermione said nudging me with a grin.

“What class did you get out of?� I asked.

“Herbology,� she replied. “I was afraid I’d miss something important,� she said, concerned, “but Professor Sprout says that I’ll be fine. I hope she’s right.�

Professor Channing then took her stand at her podium, but not before knocking over a globe off of its stand and sending it rolling wildly under her desk.

“Good morning students. I see that you have all succeeded in the fun part of our lesson; dressing up as muggles,� she said with a smile. “But before I waste anymore time, I would like to introduce the mystery guest speaker today, Miss Hermione Granger.�

Hermione smiled and took her stand at the podium. Professor Channing smiled and cleaned her glasses on her robes. With a sickening crunch, her glasses snapped in half as Hermione cleared her throat. Professor Channing waved her wand and said, ‘reparo’ as she quickly put her glasses back on and sat at her desk with her hands folded, probably to prevent any more accidents.

Hermione’s speech started out with a summary of all of the technology they use everyday to help teach and run the school. There are light bulbs, air conditioning/heating utilities, and computers (a subject that none of us could fathom no matter how many times Hermione tried explaining them to us).

The last subject she spoke about was the most interesting to us. She must have saved the best part for the end.

“In most of the muggle schools, not everyone is friendly to each other. Some know more people than others and are considered elite and popular. But those popular people usually exclude people from their group and act rather snobby. There can be several different groups, or cliques, of people in a school. There can be groups for the popular, the athletic, the clever, and the normal. Some are even cast out by their peers and live through their academic life without any friends. The groups almost never mingle except in class, but other than that, they mostly ignore each other and stick with members of their own group.�

“That’s horrible!� someone said, interrupting her. Several other people murmured in agreement. Hermione made muggle teenagers sound terrible and cruel.

Hermione nodded and smiled a sad, knowing smile. “Would you like to know the worst part?� she asked us.

All of us nodded, looking at each other in horror. We were all thinking the same thing, “What could be worse than that?�

“Well,� Hermione began carefully, “the worst part is that the exclusion and cliques do not end at muggle boundaries. We have them in our own school.�

“Huh?� said a confused Terry Boot. “I’ve never seen us cast each other out and stay in defined groups.�

Several students nodded their heads.

“It may not be on such a large scale, but we do indeed have four main cliques at this school, though we refer to them as houses,� she voiced. She received a few surprised looks, even from me. “Yes,� she stated, “many of you have not realized how much we socialize with only our houses and no one else.�

“Well what does that matter?� someone quipped. “It’s not like we’re hurting anyone. It’s not a problem.�

“Oh but it is,� Hermione answered. “And it could be quite deadly if we don’t do anything about it. As we all know, Lord Voldemort is back and quickly gaining power.� I gave a shudder as well as most of the class did. “I personally cannot see how our side will survive if we cannot even unite a school under one roof,� she said with intense emotion. “Can you imagine the magical world practically controlled by Voldemort again? Can you picture this school in shambles thanks to him? What if Voldemort goes after your family next? Or he might head for us. We won’t be ready as we are. We could never stop him like this. What all of us really need to do is come together as one and try to stop Voldemort before he can hurt another person.�

Each time she said his name, she said it forcefully, almost sending us all into shock. I never knew that Hermione had such good public speaking skills. She was very convincing. Some students shot dodgy looks at Malfoy and Hermione noticed them.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re all friends or all enemies. We have to realize that we must cooperate with each other and know that we must help each other to help get rid of Voldemort. We must work with each other despite some of our differences and realize that we’ll be protecting the ones we love.� When Hermione said this, her eyes shone with tears, and I knew she was thinking about Harry. I also noticed that for the one of the first times in a month, Malfoy’s grey eyes settled on me intently and I did not break his gaze.

Professor Channing was the first to say something in the long silence. She clapped her hands quietly and blinked a few times. “Thank you, Hermione,� she said softly. She was obviously touched by Hermione’s speech, just as everyone in the class was. I should have known that Hermione wouldn’t have missed a class without a reason. Missing class to promote the school unification was a good excuse to me. It was clever of her to mix it in with her original speech about muggle schools.

As Hermione stepped down, Malfoy and I still held gazes and it wasn’t because we both looked odd in muggle clothes…or at least I don’t think that’s the reason. He didn’t show much emotion on his face, and I felt that I didn’t either. But I find out from looking at him that he would indeed talk to me soon. I would just wait until then. What Hermione said made a lot of sense; protecting the ones we love. That was the best motive for working with each other. As Malfoy and I watched each other I found a revelation in his eyes. It surprised me that it became quite obvious that along with all of my other friends and family, Draco Malfoy is someone who I’d die protecting because he is among the ones I love.

Chapter XIII: The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Steal-My-Heart?

It was only a few days ago that I had made my speech in Ginny’s Muggle Studies class and everyone is still buzzing about it. I didn’t really think that it would’ve received this much support when I first had the idea to add it in a few minutes before I spoke. Ginny is convinced that I had planned it out, though. As for me, I’m still embarrassed that I got emotional during a class speech. At least it wasn’t graded.

“So,� said Ginny as we walked along a hallway to the Great Hall. “Are you still convinced that your speech wasn’t impressive?�

Right then, a seventh year whom I wasn’t familiar with came up at patted me on the back.

“You go, Hermione,� the tall one said.

“Yeah,� agreed his friend. “Tell ‘em like it is, tell ‘em like it is,� he said as he playfully punched me in the arm. As fast as they had come, they just as quickly left.

I was still rubbing my arm when Ginny spoke up again. “Well?� she asked expectantly with a grin.

“I am glad that I was able to finally convince people to do something, but I’m telling you, I didn’t plan this out.�

“Right,� Ginny said as if she didn’t believe me. “Come off it now, you obviously must have thought of it ahead of time.�

“Yeah, about three minutes ahead of time,� I argued. What I really had to thank for my ‘amazing’ speech was my mind for thinking about Harry right before I stood up at the podium. I felt as if I had to do something right at that moment to convince others to help me. Conveniently I all ready had an audience. “The speech wasn’t that great you know.� It was true. I had made the whole thing up as I went along and even now I barely remember what I said to them.

“Uh huh,� Ginny said without really listening. “Remember the D.A. turnout last night?�

She did have a point there. Last night was another of our D.A. meetings, only this time the number of people who came doubled. Harry and Ron were both shocked.

Harry watched with raised eyebrows as people flooded through the Room of Requirement. Thankfully, the room expanded to fit our desperate need of space.

“Wow Hermione,� Harry said. “I still haven’t heard your speech, but it must have been terribly good to get all these people to join,� he remarked as he made a wide gesture around the room.

“I’m glad I have finally said something that people want to listen too,� I said.

“Haven’t you seen one of those fliers Dean Thomas has been handing out?� Ron asked Harry. “It has practically all of Hermione’s speech written on it.�

It was true. It had most of my main points on it and the fliers themselves cried for attention. Dean had made them on the most outrageous colors of paper he could find. They have been posted on notice boards in colors of lime green, hot pink, and sunburst orange. On the fliers was a bewitched picture of a huge smiley face that continuously winked mischievously at you. It said mostly what I had said about getting everyone to work together or else all would fall apart. I felt really honored that everyone was taking heed to what I was saying. All ready I have seen Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors trying to get to know each other better. I do know that the Slytherins will need further convincing to work with us. They won’t listen to a wishy-washy speech from a Gryffindor who they all love to hate, thanks to Malfoy.

“No,� Harry said. “But I guess I better get my hands on one to see what this is all about.�

During the lesson, Harry taught everyone a couple charms I pointed out to him in a book earlier. With Ginny as my partner, we tried the Confundus Charm on each other first. For fifteen minutes after we cast our spells, we ambled around the large room, very confused. Next, we learned the Conjunctivitis Charm where we almost blinded each other. My vision was a blur for a while before Ginny and I convinced ourselves that we were doing fine (that, and we hated having to do these spells on each other; they gave us splitting headaches). I noticed that Malfoy still attended the meetings even though some of his friends had quit coming. I also noticed that Ginny noticed. Which each glance she glance him, her face always turned back to me looking more somber. Thankfully we had accomplished a lot that night despite the surprising size doubling of our group.

I shook my head from the memory and turned back to face Ginny as we neared the Great Hall. The windows behind her were frosted over, but it didn't matter anyways because I knew what I would see. White. And lots of it. For the beginning of December, we all ready had a load of snow that had seemed to land overnight.

“Yeah, I suppose you have a point there,� I replied sheepishly. I didn't want to be boastful every time someone brought up my speech (which was strangely a lot) and I found that being modest was a lot easier and it removed you from the spotlight quicker.

When we entered the Great Hall several groups noticed and stopped talking; giving us a look. It was no ordinary look. It was the look you get from people who were just talking about you, and even though they stop talking, you can always tell. Thankfully it must've not been bad because most of them beamed at me. Ginny nudged me.

“See that?� she said. “Those are your supporters. Look, there's Ravenclaws at the Hufflepuff table and Hufflepuffs at the Gryffindor table!� she exclaimed excitedly. As I looked in the direction she pointed, I noticed exactly what she said. I saw that the Slytherins sat arrogantly at their table with expressions that dared anyone from another house to take a seat at their table. Obviously the Slytherins weren't in favor of house integration.

I pointed out the Slytherins to Ginny. “See? I'm not as good as you say I am. The Slytherins will never listen to me.�

Ginny looked at me, shocked. “Hermione Granger, you will never be pleased with yourself, will you? I think it's amazing that we've gotten this far this quickly!� she said, wildly gesturing at the first three tables.

I hated to admit it, even to myself, but she was right. Everything that was happening right now was beyond anything I ever thought would come out of this. We sat down at the Gryffindor table where Harry, Ron, and Neville were chatting avidly with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones. I noticed Harry was pouring over one of Dean's fliers. Apparently he finally got one. The one he had was one of the sunburst orange ones. The spell that bewitched the smiley face to continuously grin and wink was wearing off as its eyes began to close tiredly with each smarmy wink it gave.

“Hey Hermione,� Harry said looking up. “You know, Ginny and Ron were right. This is amazing,� he said as he took a bite of a sandwich and tapped on the flier with his wand. The face became rejuvenated again as its grins became wider and its winks became more hearty.

I smiled. I could see several around the other tables with people obviously talking about them. Some even found their way to the Slytherin table where they were being mercilessly ripped up and burned by wand sparks. My smile became tight as I said, “I'm glad you think so. Too bad everyone doesn't think the same.�

Harry could tell I was talking about the Slytherins as he caught my wry glance at their table. “Oh Hermione, you should just forget about them and be happy with what you've done all ready. Everyone knows that they're just a bunch of jerks,� Harry stated as everyone around us agreed.

I sighed as I turned away from the Slytherin table. If only there was a way that I could get through to the Slytherins. I can't be pleased with only half completing what I set out to do in the first place, which was to unify the school. Not just three houses. No one could understand that, apparently.

Harry and Ron broke off from their conversations to speak with me as Ginny stroke up a new conversation with a couple of Ravenclaws who had just come over.

“Hermione, we've got something big to tell you,� Ron said quietly as Harry nodded.

“What?� I said, fearing for the worst.

“Okay, there's no easy way to say this, but Dumbledore thinks that the war could be ending soon, possibly somewhere this school year,� Ron said. “And you know what that means,� he said as he tilted his head in the direction of Harry as Harry nodded grimly.

I felt my heart plummet as confusion entered my mind. “What?� I repeated. “But it's barely begun! How could it be close to over?�

“That's the thing,� Harry spoke up. “It's possibly close to over,� Harry said in a whisper. “It all really depends on which side wins. You see, if Voldemort loses and I...erm...kill him, then yes, the war would technically be over. But if I happen to lose...and you know...Voldemort wins, then they might as well not call it the Final Battle...unless they refer to it as my final battle,� Harry said awkwardly. Ron had cringed every time Harry said Voldemort's name, and he picked up where Harry left off.

“Dumbledore reckons that You-Know-Who wants to get Harry out of the way as soon as possible so he can go back to how he used to live before Harry became involved,� Ron said in a hushed tone. That made sense, but there was still one thing that was bothering me.

“How do you two know all of this?� I asked inquisitively.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look.

“A member from the Order came to the school last night to talk to Dumbledore,� Ron said. “We wouldn't have known if Harry here didn't overhear his name. Then Harry decided to listen to what was going on...you know...since involved him and all.�

Harry nudged Ron in the ribs forcefully and Ron scowled. “What was that for? It was the truth, wasn't it?�

“Oh come off it. You're making it look like I did it alone when it was your idea to 'investigate' in the first place,� Harry said.

I sighed heavily. When will they ever learn? “You two are just lucky you weren't caught by a teacher,� I scolded. “You could've gotten into serious trouble listening to someone's conversation. And it was the headmaster's conversation, for Merlin's sake!�

“But Hermione, it wasn't our fault that we overheard it! We couldn't help but see what it was about!� Ron argued.

“I still don't know why Dumbledore didn't put an Imperturbable Charm on the door so he couldn't be overheard,� I commented. “I think that’s kind of strange.�

“Maybe he wanted us to overhear him,� Harry said. “But that would be kind of dodgy, wouldn’t it? I mean; he could just bring us to his office and tell us what we need to know, couldn’t he?�

Ron looked from Harry to me and then said, “Dumbledore works in very mysterious ways. Who knows what he could have meant? The point is that we heard what we heard and there’s nothing we can do about it now.�

“Fine,� I said, crossing my arms. “Well since there’s nothing we can do about it now, did you hear anything else that is relevant?�

“Yeah, hang on…� Harry said. “As a matter of fact, Dumbledore mentioned that he has managed to convince the goblins to join our side.�

“Yeah, that surprised me a lot,� Ron said. “I mean, after Ludo Bagman didn’t pay them back their gold, I was afraid that they would go and swear off helping anyone. And that Bagman still hasn’t paid Fred and George back yet. I wish he would pay them so that they would shut up about it all ready,� Ron said grumpily.

“Well that’s good,� I said. “I thought the goblins might side with Voldemort, but I guess you never know. So is that it then?�

Harry nodded. “That’s all we heard. There was probably more, but we didn’t hear the first part.�

I looked at Harry concernedly and felt myself worrying again. What would happen? Would it be long before Voldemort decides to attack? Was Voldemort still gaining followers? Then I began to criticize myself. I hadn’t done enough. I need to somehow get the Slytherins convinced that they need to work with everyone else. But how could I possibly get them to work against some of their own parents? This is mad. I’m a nutter for thinking I can do any of this.

‘But look at what you have done,� a voice in the back of my head said. ‘Amazing, huh? Did you ever think you could accomplish this much?’

No, but…

‘Exactly. Harry is really pleased with you, too.’

What does Harry have to with anything? But at the thought of Harry my heart always does a little tumble. It’s probably because I’m so afraid for him all of the time.

‘Who are you kidding?’ the back of my mind responded.


Just then, Ginny pulled me aside. I’m glad she did it right at that time because now I’m afraid I’m going mad having a conversation with myself in my mind.

“Hermione?� she asked after she noticed I finished talking with Harry and Ron.

“Yes?� I responded as I lifted my gaze from the table.

“Is it…er…okay if we go take a walk around the school?� she asked after she looked around at all of the people around us. “I kind of have to talk to you about something.�

Harry and Ron caught this bit, giving us both curious looks.

“It’s a girl thing,� Ginny added. Harry and Ron’s interest faded just as quickly as it had come as they went back to whatever they were talking about. Quidditch, I suspect. Honestly, you would think that they both still think girls have cooties or something.

I grinned as I watched Ron make a face to Harry as they both turned away. “Sure,� I answered as we both got up from the table.

When we had walked out of the Great Hall and started for the stairwell, I then asked her what was wrong.

“Are you still okay, Gin?� I asked. I knew that she was still a bit upset about Malfoy not talking to her. I still don’t know why he continues to avoid her.

“Yeah, I’m fine…well kind of,� she said. “It’s just that…I think I’ve realized something that I don’t want to admit to myself…so that’s why I want to tell you about it. Maybe if I talk to someone…a girl preferably…I can figure out what’s going on here.�

“Well I’m up to listening,� I told her as we passed a group of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. They grinned at me and a couple gave me the thumbs up sign as they passed.

“Thanks,� Ginny said. “But this is kind of a secret…so would you mind not telling anyone?�

“Of course not,� I assured her. “You can trust me.�

“Okay, well,� Ginny said as she put her voice down to a whisper even though there wasn’t anyone around. “It’s kind of about Dra…I mean, Malfoy.�

I nodded. “Yeah, I thought so,� I said.

She gave me a surprised look. “You did? Why?�

“Oh I dunno,� I said. “I guess it was kind of just a gut feeling. But go on, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.�

“Well,� she started again. “I know this might sound weird…but…�

“Go on,� I said.

“Erm, Hermione? I think I might be in love with Draco Malfoy,� she said as she winced, waiting for my reaction.

My eyebrows shot up. “Wow, Ginny…are you sure?�

Ginny turned scarlet and nodded a bit. “I think so…it’s just the way he makes me feel inside…you know? I always feel happy and light when I’m around him…or at least I used to before I had to go and ask he if he was going to become a Death Eater,� she said as her face fell.

I patted her back. “You know, it does sound like you are in love,� I said.

“Yeah, I know,� Ginny said. “And I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t even know why I do, I just do. I can’t let Malfoy know…what would he do if he knew a Weasley was in love with him?!� She seemed afraid at the thought. “I can’t let him know…but I had to tell someone…� she trailed off. “I was afraid that people might think I’m mad or something.�

I thought back to the conversation I had in my head a few minutes earlier. Now that was mad. “Don’t worry, Ginny,� I comforted. “You’re not mad. Trust me. And you shouldn’t worry about what other people think either.�

Ginny looked at me. “Thanks Hermione. That really helped.�

“No problem,� I said. “Anytime you want to talk, just pull me away from Harry and Ron.�

Ginny giggled. “Okay.�

There was a silence as we passed the library.

“Um, Hermione? There was also something I wanted to talk to you about…only it’s kind of about you,� she said.

“Really, now? What is it?� I asked with a puzzled expression.

“I know you might not want to hear this, but…�

“Go on,� I urged her again.

“But I think I’m not the only one who’s in love here,� she said looking at me.

“What? You don’t mean me do you? I don’t know what you’re talking about.�

“How can you say you don’t know? I think it’s painfully obvious.�

“What’s painfully obvious?�

“Well,� she began. “IkindofreallythinkthatyouloveHarry,� she spilled out.

“What?! I did not understand a word you just said.�

She took a deep breath. “I think you love Harry,� she said simply.

A look of bewilderment crossed my face. “Well…I…ah…of course I love Harry! He’s my best friend!� I sputtered.

Ginny grinned knowingly. “You know what I mean. I think you’re in love with Harry.�

I scrunched my eyebrows together and frowned. “That’s ludicrous! Who told you that? Witch Weekly?�

She laughed. “No, silly. I’ve made my own observations, thanks. And it’s not ludicrous…� she stopped. “Well do you?�

“Do I what?� I said impatiently.

“You know…do you love Harry?�

“Well no…erm…maybe? How am I supposed to know?!�

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Well they’re your feelings, after all. I thought you might know what’s going on.�

“What’s going on?� I asked with my cheeks flushing. I felt very much left out of this conversation even though it was only me and Ginny.

“I don’t know!� Ginny said. “I was asking you what’s going on with you and Harry!�

“Nothing’s ‘going on’!� I argued. “…at least I don’t think so,� I said uncertainly.

“There must be something going on,� Ginny said smiling slyly. “I’ve seen you two look at each other…so don’t deny it.�

“What? I can’t look at anyone now?� I said with my face feeling hot.

“You don’t look at anyone else the same way you look at Harry,� she said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,� I said stubbornly. It was true; I had no idea what she was talking about at all.

“Merlin, Hermione!� she said exasperatedly. “Answer me a few questions then, will you?�

I nodded. “Okay…�

“Do you love being around him?�

“Well, yeah…he is my best friend, you know.�

“Don’t make excuses. Now let’s see…have you ever noticed strange little quirks or details about him?�

“Yeah…well I’ve always been fascinated with his eyes…� I said, feeling very embarrassed.

“Anything else?� she asked with her eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Um…� I said as I thought hard. “I’ve kind of noticed what he smells like…� I said as my face heated up even more, if that was at all possible.

“So…tell me about his eyes.�

I conjured up a picture of Harry in my mind. “Well his eyes are amazing…almost indescribable. They’re this intense shade of green, but they’re still very gorgeous…�

Ginny’s large grin was unbearable.

“What!?� I said defensively. “You asked me to describe them! Don’t look at me like I’m some kind of nutter.�

“Okay, fine. Last question then. Does your heart do a little flip every time you see him or think about him and is your stomach filled with butterflies around him?�

‘Oh no. She can’t be serious,’ I thought to myself as I recalled the many times my heart has turned and my stomach felt queasy. “Yes…but that’s because I’m worried about him!� I said.

“What did I say about excuses?� Ginny scolded. “I don’t want to hear them. Now, from what you have told me, it is obvious that you are in love with Harry Potter,� she said as we neared the Great Hall once again.

“That’s crazy,� I objected.

“Well you heard it out of your own mouth,� Ginny shrugged. “Now it’s up to you when you want to come out of denial.�

“I am not in denial!�

“What was that?�

“What was what?� I said as I felt myself growing impatient.

Ginny gave me a stern look.

“It was denial,� I said grumpily.

“Good,� Ginny said cheerfully. “Now that that’s settled, you might want to refer to Harry with a new name.�

“Why in the world would I do that?�

“You know, because he’s your crush. So he needs a code name.�

“Where do you get these ideas?� I asked her, perplexed. “And for the last time, he’s not my crush! He’s my best friend. And that’s it!�

“What did I say about being in denial?� Ginny said firmly. “Anyways,� she continued in her jovial manner, “I was thinking along the lines of ‘The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Steal-Your-Heart.’�

I looked at her like she was mad. “Are you insane? Besides, I’m sure he’ll never figure out who that is,� I said sarcastically.

“Oh come on, Hermione,� she said as we walked into the Great Hall. “You are too stubborn.�

Another round of people waved and grinned at me from their tables as we walked past. I sighed heavily. “Ginny, I just don’t think I can believe you. I don’t even want to be in love, how could I be in love?�

“That’s the point, isn’t it?� she said in a distant tone. “You know, Hermione, we can’t always control everything in our lives. Even which people we love.�

At this point, Harry and Ron came up and joined in the conversation.

“Are you done with your girl talk now?� Harry said grinning at me.

“Yeah,� Ron said. “I still don’t see why you couldn’t talk in front of us.�

Ginny rolled her eyes with a grin. “Yes, Harry we were just finishing,� she said as she got back into her merry demeanor. She was probably happy from teasing me so much…argh. I still have no clue what she means…actually I do…but well…oh no, this sounds like denial.

Harry grinned at me, and then I felt very, very confused. Could I possibly be in love with my best friend? There were too many things wrong with this idea. Our friendship would probably be ruined…that, and what would Ron say? He’d probably think this whole thing is crazy, just like I do.



‘But it really isn’t that crazy if you think about it. You’re best friends. You know each other better than anyone else,� a voice in the back of my head said.

Oh no, not you.

‘You can’t be annoyed with yourself, now.’

Oh yes I can… Why is part of me even thinking about this?!

‘You know, he might love you back.’

Oh shut up… I don’t even want to think about this. How can he ‘love me back’ when I’m not even in love with him in the first place?!

‘Well, how are you so sure you’re not? Ginny gave some pretty good reasons…’

I’ve had my heart broken enough for one semester, thanks.



I then proceeded to drown out the voice in my head by chatting with some seventh year Hufflepuffs.

When my train of thought did happen to stop at Harry’s station, I found myself befuddled again. It was so confusing, yet it made so much sense. Not that I wanted it to. I suppose I must be weary from what Seamus did to me. Even that seemed years ago, even though it was only a couple months past. I don’t want to believe it, but could Harry really be The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Steal-My-Heart?

- H. Granger

Chapter XIV: Someone To Love


Last week I finally took Hermione aside and confronted her about Harry. It didn’t seem like she was going for it, though (her being in love with Harry, that is). To my surprise, she seemed kind of confused. She will get over herself soon enough and realize that she loves him…hopefully. You know what? I think she is too scared to think it could be possible. Oh no, I’m meddling again, aren’t I? I think I’ve done enough.

Today was the day of another Hogsmeade trip. It was the perfect day to be outside, too. The weather was just below zero, and if you stayed outside long enough, your nose became an icicle. It was wonderful weather. …Ha, don’t worry, I’m only joking about it being wonderful.


This morning at owl post, a large, grey-feathered owl dropped a letter into my cereal, splattering me with milk.

“Who’s it from?� Natalie McDonald, a younger Gryffindor asked me.

I skimmed over it.

“It is from my brother Bill,� I said grinning.

I then wiped myself with a couple napkins and read the letter.

Dearest Ginny,

It’s your dear oldest brother here. I just wanted to mail you and Ron to see how everyone is doing at Hogwarts. There’s nothing new at Gringotts, except one of the receptionists got married. I don’t think that would interest you, though. I suggest that everyone stays at Hogwarts for Christmas though. Dumbledore thinks it would be safer at the school now that...you-know-what has happened. I obviously can’t say very much here, except that things are going well and Fleur and I are missing everyone. Mum is threatening to cut my hair in my sleep if I don’t cut it myself soon. You should write a letter to tell her to stay off my case, ha ha ha. Dumbledore says that he’s going to try and do something to get everyone to stay for the holidays so everyone will possibly be safe. Who knows what he has up his sleeves? Well Gin, this owl here is getting tired of waiting, so I’m going to end it here. I’m thinking of you!

Love,

Your big, but not-so-bad, brother Bill

P.S. I hear that you’re kicking some butt on the quidditch field; Ron wrote to me about last game. When you come home, you’ll have to put your skills to the test against me!

I giggled to myself at the post script. Bill was always teasing me for becoming a ‘quidditch jock.’ I looked up to see that Ron had just gotten a letter as well.

“Is that from Bill?� I asked him.

“Yeah,� he answered, looking up. “What do you think Dumbledore has planned when Bill says that Dumbledore’s got a reason to make us stay?�

I was about to open my mouth to answer when Dumbledore himself began to speak over the students.

“Good morning students,� he said as his airy voice somehow rang out across the hall. “I would like to announce a couple of things. First of all, I would like to say that the sign-up sheet for students who are staying over the holidays has been posted. Secondly, I would like to announce that this month we are having a Winter Masquerade Ball over the holidays,� he said smiling and looking at us over the rims of his half-moon glasses. “It will be held over the break, though. I suspect many of you would like to attend. The Weird Sisters will be gracing us by performing for us once again,� he said as many students began to whisper to each other excitedly. “And I hope that everyone has a wonderful time at Hogsmeade on this fine morning. Thank you for your attention.�

When he sat down, everyone began talking to each other eagerly.

Ron chuckled. “That must have been what Bill meant,� he said.

“That’s one way to get everyone’s attention,� I added.

I noticed that Harry looked apprehensively at Hermione, and I made a note in my mind to have a talk with him later.

I also couldn’t help but notice over at the Slytherin table that when that awful Pansy Parkinson heard, she’s been eyeing Malfoy with great interest.

I looked at Malfoy with a sore feeling in my stomach. I knew that even if he wasn’t talking to me, I don’t know what I would do if he said yes to go with someone else to the Masquerade Ball…if he was even going himself.

The Parkinson girl noticed whom I was staring at, and then grinned viciously as she rested her hand on Draco’s shoulder. Draco didn’t notice much, and continued talking. I turned away, feeling angry.

Who does that girl think she is, anyways? Does she know that I love him? How could she know? I don’t even know her.

Hermione interrupted my malicious thought. “Ginny, are you okay?�

“I’m fine,� I snapped. “Why do you think something is wrong, anyways?�

“I saw you looking at Malfoy again,� she said quietly. “And I saw what Pansy did. Don’t mind her, okay? She’s just trying to make you mad.�

“That and she’s all over Malfoy,� I said bitterly.

“Come on, Ginny,� Hermione said. “Just don’t mind her, okay? You know that if Draco was ever interested in her, he would have done something about it earlier.�

It was hard for me to believe that as I watched Malfoy smile at Pansy. “Right,� I said disbelievingly.

She looked over at the Slytherin table. “That doesn’t mean anything,� she said. “You know how he attracts all of the Slytherin girls…�

‘0Like that helps any,’ I thought grumpily. Why did the boy that I happened to love have to be one of the most desirable boys in the school?

I continued to scowl until Hermione spoke up again. “Come on, Gin,� she said, tugging at the sleeve of my robes. “Let’s leave now. I think they’re starting for Hogsmeade soon.�


We walked together outside where all ready a big group of people had formed. Almost all of them grinned and waved jovially to Hermione. She smiled back. Anyone who had permission to go to Hogsmeade wasn’t staying behind today as today was the last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas, and everyone had Christmas shopping to do.

A few galleons jingled in my pocket as I still fumed over Malfoy. A frigid wind blew and shoved bits of ice down my collar. I adjusted my crimson and gold scarf to cover part of my face as my teeth began to chatter.

When we reached Hogsmeade, Hermione decided to stay with me instead of going with Harry and Ron. She probably felt sorry for me or something. …Oh, no. I shouldn’t think like that about Hermione, she’s only trying to be nice. First we went into Honeydukes to browse through the sweets. Apparently, that’s where everyone else went as well. After going through the shelves, jars, and boxes, Hermione and I left with Chocolate Frogs for Ron, Honeydukes famous chocolate for the equally famous Harry, and a large cake for my mum and dad. I didn’t really see what Hermione got though.


After a long day of Christmas shopping, Hermione and I decided to go to the Three Broomsticks. We put down our many bags of purchases and each ordered a hot chocolate. After all of the shopping, I had bought an extremely thick and boring book for Hermione that talked about all of the significant wizards of the sixteenth century. I know it’s going to catch her interest. Other new purchases I made were a book of joke ideas for Fred and George, a couple of joke items to lighten Percy up (snakes in a can, ha ha ha!), a scarf for Charlie, and a model of a dragon for Bill that had flames actually shoot out of its snout. I secretly bought a little enchanted snow globe that played a soft, sad little tune. On the bottom of the globe were the snow fell, there was an outline of a heart that you could barely see in the snow drift. I bought it because it reminded me of Malfoy when I saw it in the shop. I didn’t show it to Hermione, though, because she would have probably told me to get my mind off of him.

We noticed a couple students at a nearby table wrestling over a Christmas catalogue. One of their wands sparked and the catalogue burst into flames.

“Oh no!� Hermione cried in a scandalized tone. “They’ve killed a book!�

I laughed and got Hermione to calm down. A silence passed as we listened to the chatter of everyone else.

Hermione glanced at me as she sipped her mug. “Are you having fun?� she asked with a grin.

“Not anymore,� I said gloomily as I saw Malfoy walk through the door over Hermione’s shoulder.

“Aww, Ginny,� Hermione said as she put down her mug. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around.�

“Easy for you to say,� I muttered.

“What are you talking about?� Hermione asked, hurt.

“Well at least the person you love loves you back.�

“Huh?� was her initial response.

“You know,� I said feeling very annoyed, “Harry…�

Her cheeks turned pink as she stared at me. “You…I don’t even…Do you really think so?� she asked.

I nodded, starting to feel bad that I was taking out my anger on Hermione. “So what do you think about that Masquerade Ball?� I said, changing the subject.

She stayed silent for a while. “I don’t know if I’ll go,� she said. “I mean, I’m not really the ball type of person… What about you?�

With a wry glance at Malfoy I said, “Yeah I think I will, you know, just to go and see it…but I probably won’t enjoy it if he’s there with one of them,� I said moodily, talking about Malfoy and the group of girls that were ‘discreetly’ following him.

“Don’t worry about it Ginny,� Hermione said. “He cares about you, you know. Why do you think he still comes to all of the D.A. meetings even though all of his friends stopped coming?�

Well that was a new thought. I waved it away because I was too caught up in my own misery.

“Come on Ginny,� she said looking at a clock. “It’s almost time to go. We better head out now.�


When we got back from Hogsemeade, it was all ready time for dinner. At dinner I sat silently, feeling bad for myself. I know that’s not good, but I couldn’t help it. I did notice tense glances between Harry and Hermione, though. Ron was in a conversation with a few Ravenclaws. Malfoy, I noticed, began to stare at me again. That familiar mad thumping of my heart started again. Our gaze held until some Slytherin girl waved a hand in front of his face and demanded his attention. I didn’t say anything during dinner at all, but I then remembered my note to self that said to talk to Harry. When we were leaving the Great Hall, I noticed that the sign-up sheets to stay for the holidays were practically filled. I decided to add my name on it, and felt my heart leap into my throat as I noticed that I signed under Malfoy’s showy signature.


After dinner, I took Harry aside in the common room where he was talking with a few other Gryffindor boys.

“Harry?� I asked. “If it’s okay I’d like to talk to you.�

“Sure,� he said as he excused himself from Dean, Neville, and Ron.

“So…is there anything wrong?� Harry asked as we went to the other side of the room.

“No, actually I kind of just walked to ask you something.�

“About what?�

“Well…about Hermione.�

A look of concern flashed over his eyes. “What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?�

I laughed. “No, no, save your heroics for another day. Hermione’s not in distress.�

Harry gave me a puzzled look.

All of a sudden I felt very, very awkward for talking to Harry and Hermione about each other behind their backs.

“Well I was just wondering if you…if you…�

“If I what?� Harry pushed.

“You know…well, no you don’t. You fancy Hermione don’t you?�

A look of embarrassment took over his face as he began to turn red. “Who…erm…what gave you that idea?� Harry said as he shot a poison-filled glance at Ron, who obviously had no idea what was going on.

I laughed again. “Don’t worry, no one told me or anything. You can trust me, you know.�

Harry nodded, still obviously very embarrassed. “Okay.�

“Well I only know because it’s obvious,� I told him.

“It is?� Harry asked, surprised. “So then that would mean that Hermione…�

“No, she doesn’t know,� I answered before he could string the words together to make the question. “She’s not very knowledgeable in that area. But you do fancy her, right?�

“I thought you said you knew,� Harry said accusingly.

“I’m only asking to make sure.�

“Oh. Okay.�

“Well do you?�

“Oh yeah, sorry about that…erm…yeah,� he said, looking very uncomfortable.

I grinned. “So, for how long?�

Harry’s eyes became very distant. “You know, I have always loved her. I’ve loved her since the time she barged into my compartment, looking for Neville’s toad.�

“Okay, Mr. Romantic, I suggest you ask her to the ball then. She’ll be delighted.�

“She fancies me too?� Harry asked with a hopeful look on his face.

“Yes,� I replied. “She doesn’t know it yet but yes, she does.�

“Okay,� Harry grinned and returned to what he was doing before.


I then went into a chair in the corner and pulled out the snow globe I bought at Hogsmeade. I was glad I was able to help Harry and Hermione on their way, but I just wish there was someone to help me. I fiddled with the snow globe with Malfoy on my mind. The sad little tune began to play again as I tipped it over and watched the snow fall to the bottom. Most people go through their lives looking for someone to love. That wasn’t a problem for me. I all ready had someone to love, but would I ever have someone to love me back?

Chapter XV: Messing Up

In a flurry of snow, Harry, Ron, and I decided to visit Hagrid in his hut this morning. For mid-December, the temperature wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but then again, it was pretty bloody cold.

“It seems like Hagrid moved his hut five times the distance from where it used to be,� complained Ron as we continued, almost blindly, through the snow.

Ron’s complaint didn’t seem so far-fetched, especially since the snow fall reached our knees, and every step toward Hagrid’s hut and away from the large, stone (did I mention warm?) castle took a hefty amount of leg strength. The latest layer of snow wasn’t light and fluffy like the stereotype (can snow have a stereotype?) that is usually portrayed, but this layer was rather dense and a bit on the heavy side. That made it all the more difficult.

“I wish this snow would stop falling,� Harry added. “By tonight the snow will probably be above our heads!�

“Well, it could be worse,� I began, trying to be optimistic. “Suppose we had to make our way across a sheet of ice instead. You two would never make it. You both are horrible ice skaters,� I said, teasing them.

“How would you know?� Ron asked defensively. “You’ve never seen us ice skate.� There was a heated “yeah� from Harry as we were walking.

“I can just tell,� I said knowingly.

“Hmph,� Ron snorted. “Well Harry and I wouldn’t want to ice skate anyway. Ice skating is for girls,� he said defiantly. As if it being a more feminine pastime had to do with anything. Merlin.

“Think what you want,� I muttered as Harry, who was leading us, suddenly stopped.

“What did you go and stop for?� Ron asked. “We still have a long way to go.�

“No we don’t,� Harry said, shaking his head. “We’re all ready here,� he said, pointing a gloved hand in front of our view.

No matter how hard I squinted my eyes, I failed to see anything but the white snow and the almost-matching sky.

“There’s nothing here, Harry,� Ron said tiredly. “And whose brilliant idea was it to come and visit him in this weather in the first place?�

“Mine,� I said. “So what if it’s snowing? Just because it’s after midnight doesn’t stop you from roaming the castle.�

“That’s different!� Ron objected.

“Oh yeah?� I scoffed. “How is that?�

“Well it doesn’t snow in the bloody castle, for starters,� Ron said loudly.

“Stop fighting, you two,� Harry commanded as I rolled my eyes at Ron, who never understands any point I try to make. Sometimes I think he does it purposely.

A silence followed as Ron and I glared at each other.

“Well if you two are going to stand out here and do nothing in the freezing cold, I’ll be looking for Hagrid’s hut,� Ron said irritably as he started to walk off.

“Ron, don’t -� Harry started to say. His warning was abruptly interrupted by a loud thud, and then a string of curses from Ron.

“I told you we were here,� Harry said.

“What was that I walked into?� Ron said, his face flushing.

Harry brushed off some snow from the offending object.

“Those, mate, were Hagrid’s doorsteps,� Harry chuckled.

As I stepped back a bit, sure enough, the outline of the hut became visible against the grey sky.

“Whose makin’ all that ruckus?� a deep voice growled from inside. As the front door opened, Hagrid’s angry expression quickly melted…like snow on a spring day, for instance. Boy, I wish it were spring with all this bad weather we’ve been having.

“Well lookee who I have ‘ere,� Hagrid said fondly. Ron scowled back at him, rubbing his shin. “Don’ jus’ stand there, come on in!� he told us, throwing open the door.

We all settled down on his lumpy sofa with a warm cup of tea. Hagrid offered us something to eat as well, but we politely declined his request. Okay, maybe our responses were a little fast… Our hats and scarves were hanging up on the door because it was plenty warm inside.

“So how have you been doin’?� Hagrid asked as he stirred his tea with a spoon.

“I’ve been great,� Harry said, giving me a side glance.

You know, I’ve been really confused lately about what Ginny said. I mean, how could I be in love with Harry? He’s my best friend, for Merlin’s sake. Being in love with your best friend seems way too weird. I mean, even if I happened to be in love with Harry, what’s the chance that he would love me back? To me, that sounds like a whole load of unnecessary heartbreak. But how do I explain how my heart tugs a little when he smiles at me? I think it might be best to just ignore the whole thing.

I lifted my teacup to my lips as I gave Harry a nervous smile. He beamed back at me.

“Yeah, we’ve been doing fine, Hagrid,� I said, looking away from Harry. I was embarrassed about the flip my heart performed when he smiled…not that he knew about it, but still. I was supposed to be ignoring it. “How about you?� I asked Hagrid.

“Oh, nothing out o’ the ordinary ‘ere,� Hagrid answered as he tipped his teacup sideways, letting some of his tea splash into Fang’s water bowl. “Jus’ gradin’ papers and such,� he said as he tilted his head towards a stack of papers on a nearby table.

“How is the Order doing?� Ron rephrased.

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Now you three know yer not of age and yer also not in the Order, so I can’t be tellin’ you anythin’. It is pretty confindential over there, you know. They don’t want nobody knowin’ stuff that they don’ need to know.�

“Yeah, we know. But Hagrid, it’s us you’re talking to. You can tell us can’t you? I mean, we’re probably going to find out anyway,� he bluffed, trying to coax out some information from him.

Hagrid frowned disapprovingly. “You know that I can’t say anythin’ no matter who ye are. Imagine if Dumbledore found out I leaked somethin’ about them attacks in London,� he muttered to himself, though what he said was quite audible to the rest of us.

“What attacks in London?� Harry asked, a bit loudly.

“Shhh!� Hagrid exclaimed, jumping up as his face paled. When he leaped, the entire hut shook and a plate even managed to fall off of a table and shatter. Fang started to bark at the noise.

“I didn’ say that out loud, did I?� Hagrid asked, looking at us anxiously, and all ready knowing the answer.

We all nodded. His tendency to reveal important (but confidential) information to us is a bit of a bad habit, to say the least.

“Go on,� said Harry. “You might as well tell us all of it, now that you’ve clearly said at least half of it.�

“Yeah, out with it,� urged Ron.

Hagrid sighed heavily, weighing his very few options.

“Fine,� he finally said. “But don’ go around discussin’ these matters in public, okay?�

“Of course we won’t,� I assured him, eager to find out what he was talking about.

Harry and Ron both nodded in agreement, exchanging interested glances.

Hagrid sighed once again before he said anything.

“Well, there have been some disappearances involvin’ some very important wizarding families,� Hagrid said gruffly. “The Claytons, the Bradfords, the Westscotts,� Hagrid said, ticking off the names on his fingers, “All o’ them are gone. Not a trace of them at their place o’ residence. We would figure there’s some sorta attack that was made, ‘cause when the Ministry when to investigate, the places were all in a mess.�

“How did the Ministry think to go and check up on them in the first place?� asked Harry.

“You see, those families had worked fer the Ministry and they hadn’t showed up to work fer a couples days without an explanation, so of course the Ministry is gonna be a bit suspicious,� Hagrid answered.

“I wonder why they were Ministry families,� Ron said, probably thinking about his own family. “That’s a bit of an odd coincidence, don’t you think?�

“I’m thinkin’ that this was no coincidence at all,� Hagrid said. “But enough o’ that. I’ve told you a lot more than you need to know. Don’t you have somewhere’s else you need to be?� he asked us. He was probably trying to get us out before he told us anything else.

“Fine, fine,� Ron said getting up and grabbing his scarf.

“It was nice talking to you,� Harry said.

“Yeah, yeah, yer all welcome ‘ere anytime,� Hagrid mumbled looking at the floor, clearly upset about spilling his secret to us.

When we got out of the hut, the snow fall had obviously increased. As we trekked through the grounds, we discussed what came up in Hagrid’s hut.

“So what did you think of that?� Ron asked, huffing as we were making our way back to the castle.

“I thought it was strange. Why haven’t we read anything about it in the Daily Prophet? Why would they keep it a secret, anyways?� He paused. “I wonder what happened to them.�

“They might have been murdered,� I said, thinking out loud. “Or maybe they made it look like an attack, but they’ve gone over to Lord Voldemort’s side. Or maybe he really did attack and is controlling them with one of the Unforgivable Curses.�

Ron flinched at Voldemort’s name. “Always trust Hermione to come up with the most explanations for something.�

“You know,� Harry said, pausing at the end. “It’s close to the holidays, and maybe we shouldn’t be worrying right at this second. Maybe we should change the subject to something a little more cheerful,� Harry said uncertainly.

“Did you have the quidditch game in mind, mate?� Ron asked, complying with Harry’s request.

“Yeah, that and that masquerade ball that Dumbledore was talking about,� Harry said, looking from Ron to me.

“I can’t believe Dumbledore couldn’t come up with a better plan to keep us here over the holidays. I don’t want to have to live through another ruddy ball. I don’t want to go through the humiliation of being rejected by girls who I ask to go to the ball with. And I certainly don’t want to have to dance. That is torture in itself, that is,� Ron said, ending his rant.

“Did you have anyone in mind?� Harry said, asking the both of us.

“Erm, no,� I said quickly, feeling a blush creep up.

“Me neither,� Ron said. “I’ll wait for someone to ask me this time, and if no one does, then I’ll just stay up in the common room.�

“Alone?� Harry asked.

“You mean you wouldn’t stay to keep me company?� Ron asked.

Harry shrugged.

“Some friend you are,� Ron said, but we knew he was kidding.

“Do you have anyone in mind?� I asked curiously.

Harry adjusted his glasses, which he always does when he’s nervous. “Well, um, yeah, actually I do,� he said, avoiding my gaze.

“So who is it?� Ron said, nudging him in the ribs. “Hannah? Padma? Pansy? Have you still got a thing for Cho?� Ron inquired.

“No, none of those girls,� Harry said.

“Then who is it?� Ron asked. “By the way, quit playing with your glasses. You do that when you’re nervous.�

“I do not,� Harry objected.

“You do that whenever Snape glares at you when you’ve just finished making fun of him,� Ron said.

“What? No I don’t,� Harry responded as he stopped adjusting his glasses.

“Yes you do, Harry,� I said as if my input would stop the argument…which surprisingly, it did. That, and we had reached the castle.

Ron and Harry left in the direction of Divination as I made my way up to Arithmacy. There was no more discussion about the ball. That is, until after dinner, when Harry took me aside and requested that we walk around the halls a bit.

“So Harry, what did you want to talk to me about?� I asked him.

“Well, it is kind of about the ball,� Harry said, trailing off, hoping that I’d know what he was talking about.

Apparently I didn’t, but I thought I did.

“Ohhh,� I said with dawning realization. “Do you want me to ask a girl for you? I’d rather not do that, Harry. It’s much better if you ask them yourself, you know. They’re less likely to reject you. But then again, who would honestly reject you?� I said with a laugh.

“No, it’s not that,� Harry said in a rush. “I was wondering if you’re going to the ball with anyone.�

“You mean since this morning? No one has asked me…unless you count that sweet third year, but I don’t really know him and I’m not really for going with someone three years younger than me,� I chuckled. “Why?�

“You know we’re friends, right?� Harry said, avoiding the question.

“Best of them,� I said.

“Yeah, well friends always stick together, right?�

“Through thick and thin,� I responded.

“But do you think that maybe best friends could be more than just best friends?� he said, his bright green eyes studying me.

“You’ve lost me,� I said, confused.

“Hermione,� he said, taking both of my hands in his warm ones and turning to face me. “Would you like to go to the ball with me?�

Our eyes locked and I felt an overwhelming surge of emotion that I have now classified as love. Too bad I hadn’t known what that was earlier.

“You mean, as friends?� I asked, confused by the questions on friendship he just asked.

Suddenly Harry seemed to lose the boldness he used to ask me in the first place. “I guess so,� he said, a bit dejectedly. “If that’s how you’d like it.�

“I mean, we’re best friends,� I said, giggling nervously. And let me tell you right now, I hardly ever giggle. “Sure, I’ll go with you.�

The trip back to the common room wasn’t as exciting. Harry hardly said anything, except to mention that the weather was nippy today. But who hadn’t known that?

I made my way to the girls’ dormitory. After I had blown out the candle, and had laid in the dark for a while, it all suddenly hit me.

I had feelings for Harry.

And he had them for me too.

What’s worse is that I completely ruined it, and now we were only going as friends. I wonder what Harry thinks? I’m so stupid! Well, romantically challenged, at least. How could I have…? Why didn’t I see that…? There were so many things I messed up on that I can’t even count them. Oh yes, and Ginny was right… I can’t let her know that. What am I supposed to do now? I’ve messed up big time.

- H. Granger

Chapter XVI: As Fate Would Have It

This morning I woke up with a very happy thought in my mind. It was the last day of school before winter holidays, and we didn't even have any classes to go to. The last thing I need right now is more O.W.L. practice. I've had plenty of that all ready. This day would have been perfect...except for the fact that today was the quidditch match against Slytherin, and it was just short of blizzarding outside. Besides, how am I supposed to play Malfoy? I was really hoping that the game would be called off due to bad weather.

“What do you mean the game's not called off due to bad weather!?� I exploded, pounding my fist on the table.

Alicia sighed patiently. She is actually a very patient person, which makes her an excellent captain. “I don't know what the deal is. All I know is that we've got one hour until the game, and if we don't show up, then we forfeit.�

“Isn't this a hazard or something?� I asked, looking for a way out to not play the game. “Someone could get seriously hurt out there or something!�

“We've still got to play,� she said grimly. “Besides, when has that ever stopped us before? I'm just glad that we've practiced in these conditions, so it won't be completely surprising.�

Yeah, if you call some light snow 'similar conditions.' I hardly think that that is a fit description, but I didn't say anything.

“Okay then,� I grumbled. “See you in the locker rooms.�

“Bye,� Alicia said, waving.

At breakfast, all I could do was fume about the game. The only one who seemed to understand was Hermione, as usual.

“It's not that bad,� Ron said, looking at Harry. “Harry's played in worse before, haven't you Harry?�

He looked up from his cereal. “Yeah,� he responded, half absent-mindedly.

“Don't worry Ginny, you'll be fine,� Ron assured me, but I knew that he had similar thoughts to mine brooding in his own mind.

“I know you don't want to play him,� Hermione whispered gently as she patted my shoulder. “But it's going to happen sooner or later. We might as well make it sooner, right?�

“I guess,� I replied. “Maybe later would be better, though. Maybe later I can forget all about him, you know?�

“Oh Ginny,� she sighed sadly. I noticed her look wistfully at Harry. “You don't want to forget about him.�

It was then that I realized that Hermione had realized what I've been trying to tell her all along. I immediately forgot my own problems and decided to inquire was feeling so down. Harry was supposed to ask her to the ball! That’s not supposed to make you sad!

“Did Harry ask you to the ball yet?� I asked hoping that I hadn’t spoiled the surprise if he hadn’t asked her yet. After all, the ball was coming up quickly. I knew my chances of getting a date were null.

Thankfully, Hermione nodded.

“Well you said yes, didn’t you?� I asked eagerly.

Hermione nodded again.

“That’s perfect!� I exclaimed. “Now you two can go to the ball together, take a walk, and fall in love under the moonlight,� I said dreamily.

“Don’t be silly,� Hermione said, shaking her head. “We’re only going as friends.� This comment took me by surprise.

“Huh? What happened? You and Harry are made for each other. You belong together. Everyone expects it…not like Malfoy and I. I guess we weren’t meant for each other. But you and Harry are, Hermione. You need to take advantage of that.�

“Don’t worry about it Ginny. I just messed up, okay?� Hermione said simply. “I missed my chance, and now Harry thinks I rejected him. But let’s not talk about these depressing subjects, okay?�

“He will come around,� I assured her. I noticed Harry glance at her. “Yes, he will definitely come around. But, yeah, I guess we better change the subject, huh?� I agreed as I noticed Malfoy sit down surrounded by several Slytherin girls.

I was feeling pretty envious of Hermione at this point. I didn’t have someone who loves me the way Harry loves Hermione. Their love is so pure and perfect; it’s hard not to be jealous of it.

“Hey, isn’t the quidditch game soon or anything?� Hermione asked, which made me return to my grim mood.

“Yeah,� I said hollowly. “I guess I should get going now.�

“Good luck out there!� she said with sudden cheerfulness. “I know you’ll do great.�

I expect her sudden cheerfulness had something to do with the expression on my face when she mentioned the game.

“Come on you two,� I said, my voice pretty void of any emotion as I grabbed Ron’s arm and hauled him up. “Time to get going.�

Harry and Ron groaned as they put down their food.

“Ginny, you’re twenty minutes early!� Ron exclaimed.

“No,� I corrected. “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time then you’re late. And if you happen to be late…well, never mind that,� I said hurriedly, quoting my Ancient Runes professor. “Let’s get going.�

I dragged them into the locker room, where everyone was all ready sitting.

“See?� I told them. “If you two had been any later, you would’ve looked like fools.�

Alicia spent the remaining time before the game explaining the game plan to us, drawn on a bewitched chalkboard in back of her. It was marked with X’s and O’s that were squirming around. The plan was fairly simple. There were to be two Chasers in front and one in back so that is the other team got possession, there would be someone back there to act as defense. When we would have the Quaffle in our possession, our Beaters would beat the Bludgers far away from us so that we wouldn’t get hit and we would also have clear shots through the hoops. Then there were Harry and Ron who got to pick what they did. This was the game plan in short: Get the Quaffle. Win.

“Okay, hands in,� Alicia instructed. “’Win’ on three. One – two – three!�

“WIN!� the rest of us shouted.

We stepped outside and faced the packed stands. The snow was falling rapidly, assisted by fierce gusts of wind, which blew straight into our faces. All of the students were in mixed house sections (thanks to Hermione!), with the exception of the Slytherins, whose house members sat haughtily with only each other. We were greeted by a roar of support as we shakily mounted our brooms, due to the force of the wind. We did a warm-up lap around the field, and while we passed, most of the students cheered us on. I had trouble controlling my broom, though. We then landed and waited for the Slytherins to arrive on the field. My teeth chattered as I looked around nervously at my other team members.

When the Slytherins (finally) came out, they got a welcome mixed with applause from the rest of their house, and, well, jeers from everyone else. They skipped the warm-up lap as their bulky captain met Alicia in the center with Madam Hooch. Madam Hooch quickly mentioned that there should be a fair game played. Alicia shook hands with the Slytherin captain, and Alicia bravely did not wince while the Slytherin captain gripped her hand so hard that it turned a dark and nasty shade of purple. I noticed Malfoy standing next to the Beaters, Crabbe and Goyle. I immediately felt like my insides had burst into flames, and I would have not been surprised if my face turned red. I quickly looked away, but Malfoy was too busy glaring at Harry to have noticed anything in the first place.

“Okay,� Madam Hooch announced. “On the whistle.�

We mounted our brooms and then the whistle sounded. We flew up skyward, and Alicia wrestled the Quaffle from Slytherin possession. It was quickly passed along to Katie Bell, who fumbled on the reception and ended up having one of the Slytherin Chasers (Zambini, I think) take hold of it.

I flew in as he was making a pass to another Chaser and intercepted the Quaffle. I concentrated on going top-speed, when a well-aimed Bludger came out of nowhere and hit the tail of my broom, causing me to swerve dangerously, loosing my grip on the Quaffle and almost crashing into the stands. Thankfully Alicia was flying right below me and caught the Quaffle when I dropped it.

Of course everything I’m explaining right now was being repeated by the announcer. The new one is a sixth year Ravenclaw named Terry Boot. We all met him at the end of last game, and he’s a really nice guy. But back to the game.

Alicia took the Quaffle and scored, giving us the first points. The crowd loudly shouted and applauded as Alicia grinned broadly. I fought against the wind and tried to squint my eyes to see if that would help. The cold whipped at my face, making me shiver, and it also set my broom off-balance.

All of a sudden, the Quaffle came flying at me, which I dropped because it took me by surprise. Zambini quickly caught it, and sped off in the opposite direction where Ron was guarding our hoops. Zambini chucked the Quaffle at the hoop farthest on the left, but thankfully, Ron saved the Quaffle.

The Quaffle was then being held by Katie Bell, who passed it to me. I sped off to the Slytherin hoops, but Crabbe beat another Bludger that I was not mentally ready for, and it hit me square in the chest, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I of course, dropped the Quaffle once again, but this time they scored to my dismay.

I actually didn’t see most of this going on; I heard Terry Boot announcing it. I could hardly see anything through the curtain of white snow that surrounded me. I was also afraid of running into Malfoy. What if Gryffindor beat Slytherin and Malfoy decided to pull a Michael Corner and get all upset? If he acted like Mike did, then I would be fine if Malfoy hates me because I hate sore losers.

I heard the Slytherins in the stands strike up a chorus of ‘Weasley is Our King,’ except the word ‘king’ was replaced by ‘queen.’ It was only then that I realized they were talking about me! I glanced over at Goyle, who was floating near me. He was conducting the Slytherins with his hands as he wore a big, stupid grin on his face. To me he looked like a giant ape trying to swat a fly. I greatly wanted to throw something at his head at that moment.

“What is that? Weasley is our queen? Surely they’re not talking about Gryffindor Chaser, Ginny Weasley,� Terry announced from the box. “Now I know that Ginny Weasley is a fine girl, but even I must agree that this is definitely not one of her best games.�

I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment as I realized that everyone now knew that I was messing up, even though they couldn’t correctly see me through all of the snow.

As I fumbled on another pass, I let the Quaffle once again fall into Slytherin possession.

Suddenly, someone flew behind me, loudly humming ‘Weasley is Our Queen.’ I identified the voice to be Malfoy’s. He winked at me, his white blonde hair all contorted in the harsh winter wind, making him look even more dashing then normal. It was because he wasn’t trying.

“Come on Weasley, I’ve seen you play better than this. I know you could out fly anyone on my whole team if you wanted to.�

With those encouraging words, he disappeared again behind the white sheet of snow.

I then had a burst of energy and confidence. At that moment, all I wanted to do was grab the Quaffle and shoot it through the Slytherin hoops a couple hundred times.

I took my first chance at grabbing the Quaffle (which was an interception from their Keeper to one of the Chasers). I flew up to the center hoop, and threw it through, scoring us another ten points.

During the next fifteen minutes (which were very monumental ones, mind you), I had managed to score a total of eleven goals for us, with Katie and Alicia also scoring their own amount. Harry, of course, managed to catch the Snitch, letting Gryffindor win by miles.

The crowded roared in approval as Harry did a victory lap around the field. I personally flew down as soon as I could because it was bloody cold out, and I wanted to get inside the castle as soon as I possibly could.

Everyone else must have thought so as well because they all filed in around me. When we arrived into the entrance hall, all of the snow from our shoes and bodies melted into a watery slush on the ground. Incidentally, Filch had just waxed the hardwood floors once again. I think he should get better timing and do this sort of stuff after big events. I rushed up to the Gryffindor tower to change into warmer clothes, having no academic worries in my mind whatsoever.

That night during the thunderous party, I stayed in the girls’ dormitory, sitting that party out. Hermione decided to join me and we had a rather interesting conversation.

“Hermione, do you believe in fate?� I asked, after a long pause that was left when Hermione tried to talk with me about S.P.E.W.

Hermione gave me a funny look.

“What are you taking about, Gin?�

“Well I was thinking,� I began. “Should I wait on the side lines until fate matches me up with Malfoy? Or is that completely against fate?�

“Personally,� Hermione said thoughtfully, “I don’t believe in fate or destiny or anything of that nature. I believe that we make our own destiny by having the power to choose what we will or will not do. We have choices in life, so I think that fate doesn’t exist. But in works in some people’s minds.�

I nodded. “I think it works for me. I mean, if he never talks to me again, then I think it’s because fate has it that way for a reason. If we’re meant to be together, then destiny will find some way to make us be together.�

Hermione nodded as well. “Yeah, I guess you could work it that way. I think I’m going to go up and read now, if that’s okay with you, Gin.�

“Yeah,� I said. “Go ahead. Thanks for talking with me. It was really nice.�

As she left, I could hear the clamor of the party five stories up. I tried to go to sleep, but I kept thinking about what Hermione said about deciding your own fate and future. It made sense, but then I think that I should just at least wait to see if Malfoy ever decides to talk to me. I don’t mind waiting, I guess. But if it takes too long, then I guess that’s my cue to just back off and find someone new.

“But I am in love with Draco Malfoy,� I said out loud to myself (thankfully, my “roomies� were still downstairs).

As fate would have it, a shooting star shot through the dark velvet sky right after I said that. I think I might stick with fate a little longer.

Chapter XVII: Falling

It was the morning of the ball. Christmas Eve. Call it whatever you like. Anyway, it was the morning of the ball and it felt just like any other morning…at least, until I got downstairs.

I made my way down to the common room, where everyone was all awake and buzzing around like they’ve had too much caffeine. I spotted Ginny over with some of her fifth year friends, and she came over to me.

“How come no one is at the Great Hall eating breakfast?� I asked, not really in the mood to deal with all of the excited people. Let me tell you right now, sometimes I am not a morning person.

“Didn’t you hear?� Ginny asked excitedly.

“Obviously not,� I replied in a bored monotone.

“What’s wrong with you?� she asked in a slightly offended tone.

I sighed deeply. “Nothing. Sorry about that. Now go on, what were you going to tell me?�

“The Great Hall is closed because it is being decorated for the ball tonight.�

“Okay, great,� I said with a yawn. “Now where am I supposed to get my breakfast?�

Ginny gave me a funny look.

“It’s being served right here, right now.�

All of a sudden I noticed that almost everyone was sitting down at small tables positioned all over the common room, with poor house elves scurrying about. I didn’t know why I hadn’t noticed this earlier, when I first came downstairs.

“So everyone is eating in their common rooms?� I asked, becoming more interested.

“Yeah,� Ginny replied.

“Weird. I guess we’re spending the whole day in here, huh?�

“Yeah,� Ginny replied again. “Pretty much…I mean, I know all the girls will be taking advantage of this time to get ready.�

“Okay, thanks for the update, Gin,� I said as I saw Harry and Ron at a table in the corner.

“No problem,� she answered, making her way back to her friends.

I made my way over to Harry and Ron. The small table that we were sitting at was conveniently large enough for three. I pulled out the last remaining chair and sat down.

“Good morning,� I said to them.

“Hey Hermione,� they replied.

“What do you have planned today?�

“Uh…the ball?� Ron said. “That’s it, really.�

“Oh,� I said. I still had yet to tell everyone that I wasn’t going to the ball. I couldn’t. It was too much of a heartbreak knowing that Harry and I were only going as friends and now he probably thinks I don’t like him and likes someone else all ready! “So Ron, did you manage to find a date?�

“What do you mean, ‘manage?’ And yes, I did find one for you information,� Ron said a bit heatedly.

“Who?�

“Susan Bones,� he replied. “We decided we were going together ages ago,� he said with a boastful tone.

“Ages ago?� Harry scoffed. “Don’t you mean yesterday?�

“Well it felt like ages ago,� Ron mumbled, turning slightly red.

We ate mostly in silence. Harry didn’t say much of anything, I observed. The pitiable house elves scurried around, serving food to all of the students.

“So what do you want to do now?� Ron asked. “Probably has to be limited to the Gryffindor Tower, though.�

“You can count me out,� I said. “I’m going upstairs to read.�

Ron shrugged.

“So mate, is it just me, or does it seem like a good time to play a game of wizard’s chess?� I heard Ron say as I left.

When I got upstairs, I plopped down onto my bed and pulled out my weathered copy of Hogwarts, a History. I flipped to where I had left off the previous night, but then again, it didn’t matter since I’ve read that brilliant book seven times all ready.

My mind began to wander as I thought about the ball again. Why did I have to act so stupid when Harry asked me? I pounded the big comforter and fell backwards, so that I was on my back, facing the ceiling. As I stared at the wooden beams supporting the ceiling, I wondered if Harry thought I was a complete idiot. I mean, how much more obvious could he get? I flipped over, and buried my head into my pillow, quickly falling asleep.

When I woke up, I blinked a few times and checked the clock to see what time it was. How long had I been asleep? Apparently it was an hour until the ball. Rubbing my eyes, I saw Parvati and Lavender inspecting themselves in front of the full-length mirror. Parvati noticed I had woken up, and came over to me.

“It’s about time you woke up, sleepy head. We almost thought you were going to sleep through the ball!� she said with an airy laugh. Her dark brown hair was in none other than a plait tied with a gold ribbon. She was wearing satin robes of deep violet that was stitched with gold thread. Parvati waved a gloved hand in front of my face, making the gold rings on her fingers glisten.

“So, Hermione, what do you think?� she said as she twirled around.

“Nice,� I said hollowly, having not quite forgotten my thoughts about the ball earlier. “Who are you going with?�

“Michael Corner. Padma introduced us.�

Boy that Michael Corner sure gets around…although I didn’t say that out loud.

“Well, that was convenient.�

“Yeah, I know. We’ll be with Lavender and Dean; they’re going together, of course.�

I nodded as Lavender came over. Her straight light brown hair was down, and reached a bit past her shoulders. She wore light robes of nothing other than the color lavender.

“Those are very pretty robes,� I said to her.

“Thanks. The lavender was Dean’s idea, actually.�

“I hope you have fun at the ball,� I said earnestly as I glanced at Parvati who was frantically fixing her hair in the mirror even though it was perfectly fine.

“You mean you’re not going?� Lavender asked. “Why not?�

I shrugged. I figured that it was no use going; it would only serve to make me look even more stupid.

“I dunno…I don’t really feel like it…I kind of feel sick, actually,� I lied lamely. I’ve used that excuse a lot.

“Oh, that’s too bad,� Lavender said as she smoothed her robes and smiled in the mirror to check her teeth.

“Hermione, do you know a spell that makes your teeth whiter?�

I shook my head and sighed at the very Lavender-like question.

“No, but I’m sure one of those might be able to help you,� I said as I pointed to a stack of my spell books that looked quite intimidating towering on a table close by. Lavender frowned impatiently.

“Well we’re going down to the common room now,� Lavender told me as she examined herself in the mirror one last time before slipping on her mask. She beckoned Parvati as she picked up her handbag.

“Hope you feel better,� they said together as they slipped out of the room.

Stupid ball. Stupid, stupid ball. I began to wallow in my own self-pity and I didn’t even care. I had gone and as good as lost Harry by acting that way. Why should I go? To make a complete fool out of myself? I grabbed a change of clothes and headed down to the prefects’ bathroom to take a long and well deserved bath. I hoped that by the time my bath was over, the ball would be too.

~*~

I came out of the bathroom feeling very much refreshed. I just had a long, luxurious bath without any real worries (if you don’t count the ball) or interruptions. My hands were all wrinkly, like they are when you’ve been in the water a long while. I even smelled of flowers, which made me relax a lot. I had a slight grin pasted on my face and I blinked sleepily even though I had only just awoken from my nap. By this time, everyone was probably well into the ball. Harry’s probably forgotten about me. Good for him. I didn’t need any drama in my life, especially for my age, when I should be thinking about be life after Hogwarts.

I climbed slowly through the portrait hole, entering the common room. It was completely empty. I leaned against a wall, hugged my book that I had brought with me to my chest, and closed my eyes, still keeping that grin on my face. Those soap suds sure had made me a bit delusional.

“Thinking about Harry?� a voice rang out of the emptiness. If anything were to take me out of a stupor, surely those words could.

My eyes opened immediately, and my arms dropped to my sides as if they were tied down with lead weights. A girl rose from one of the chairs whose backs were facing me, with her back facing me as well. The girl had straight hair that was a vibrant red col-- Wait a second, red color? Ginny…Ginny, boy was she going to get it. Why was she still up here? She turned to face me. She was wearing a white mask that covered her eyes, matched with pure white robes that flowed to her feet.

All I did was scowl at her.

“What are you still doing here?� I huffed heavily.

“I could ask you the same question,� she said smoothly.

“But haven’t you missed out on the ball?� I asked. “You must’ve missed ages of it by now! You shouldn’t have waited for me,� I said in a very apologetic tone. Why did Ginny have to go and wait for me? I hated her for it because now I was going to feel really guilty about it. She does that a lot. She makes me feel guilty for things, I mean. Now I felt like some sort of antagonist in a book.

“Well if you can call minutes ‘ages,’ then yes, we both have missed exactly five ‘ages,’� she said, looking at the clock with a smile.

“What?� I said in a very confused tone. “But haven’t I…I mean, didn’t the ball…Huh?� I said instead.

“You must have left for your bath a long time before the ball was supposed to start,� Ginny said smugly. “Betcha didn’t realize that, did you?�

I scowled at her again. I was supposed to have missed the entire ball by now.

“Well, what are you doing just standing there?� she said impatiently. “Go on, get dressed!�

“You think I’m going to the ball?� I said, as if the mere idea of it was ludicrous.

“Well, yeah, that’s what you told me, isn’t it?�

“Well newsflash, Gin, I can’t go to the ball,� I said, thinking of Harry and making my heart sink as if it had tripped into quicksand.

“Can’t or won’t?� she replied wisely.

I sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.�

“Try me.�

“Harry and I are just going as friends, remember? Nothing less…and certainly nothing more. What am I supposed to do? Go and look like a complete idiot? I don’t want that to happen. Go on to the ball, Ginny. Have fun. I hope you have a wonderful night,� I said earnestly.

Ginny gave me a hard, appraising look before she said anything.

“You really do surprise me, Hermione Granger,� she said finally.

I looked at her with a bewildered expression. “What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?�

“Have you ever thought of what would happen if you stayed here? Did you ever think of how Harry would feel? Did the thought even happen to fly through your mind that you might hurt his feelings? Or have you only been thinking about yourself?� she said, and each question cut right through me. No, I had never thought of these things. Ginny really did have the gift of making me feel guilty…very, very guilty. She could probably make an innocent man feel the need to volunteer for the Dementor’s Kiss…not that she would ever do that or anything.

I slowly shook my head. “No, no I haven’t,� I said softly. How could I have been so inconsiderate? What kind of friend ditches her best friend just because she hadn’t gotten her way? Surely they wouldn’t be considered best friends after that. Best friends should always stick together through thick and thin. I had even said those exact words to Harry. What did I think I possibly was doing now? I was doing the exact opposite of that. It shouldn’t matter that I made a fool of myself. It shouldn’t ever matter.

“Well you might as well go and get changed then,� Ginny said with a grin. “We don’t want to miss any more of the ball. And don’t be hard on yourself, okay? Sometimes we can all lose track of what’s really important in our lives.�

I looked up at her, after concentrating on the carpet. “Oh, all right,� I said wearily as I began to get up and trudge up the stairs.

“Hurry up!� Ginny added. “At the rate you’re going, we’ll get to the ball and it’ll be your graduation!�

I chuckled to myself as I quickened my pace…but only by a little.

I reached the sixth year dormitory and opened the door. I went over to my trunk and searched at the bottom. Feeling around, I fished out a package that I recently thought I would have no use of. I opened the crinkly paper and looked at my folded dress robes. They were the same blue dress robes from my fourth year, but over this past summer, I had taken them back to Madame Malkin to see if she could hem them to match my new height and maybe fix them up a bit. Sure enough, Madame Malkin had come through and my robes were filled with magic again. Not literally, mind you. The silk periwinkle blue material felt almost like water in my hands. I unfolded them and took out the objects that were placed inside the folds for protection. First was the diamond jewelry. Earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. All of them were made with sterling silver and pure diamond, cut, shone, and polished to near perfection (if I do say so myself). Mundungus would probably have a field day if he saw those. They were my mother’s and she even wore them on her wedding day. I set those down on my bed and pulled out the next object. It was a light blue mask outlined in rhinestones. Apparently my mum and dad went down to New Orleans (in the United States) while my mum was pregnant with me and my dad had gotten my mum this mask. I asked my mum if I could borrow it about a week ago, and she sent it to me by owl. The last item I had was a pair of glass slippers. I know that this sounds exactly like something out of the muggle fairytale, Cinderella. In fact, that’s part of the reason why I bought them. I got them on my holiday to France a couple years ago. They were in a small unnoticeable magical store, and thankfully they were enchanted not to break and to be very comfortable to wear. Without those enchantments, I probably wouldn’t have owned them this long. I quickly put on my clothes and fixed my hair. I pointed my wand at it, trying to fix it into something presentable. I settled for it curling downwards. Don’t ask me how I managed to change my frizz into curls. I must’ve said one of the incantations wrong. I wasn’t really about to complain since it turned out so well. I glanced in the mirror and twirled around. I guess everything fitted all right. From the collar down to the rhinestone studded hems, everything seemed perfect. I slipped on my mask and tip-toed downstairs.

“Okay Ginny, let’s get this over with,� I said.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. “You look great, Hermione. I never want you to complain about going to a ball ever again. I mean, look at you! I have a feeling that this night might just be perfect.�

“Oh, it will probably be far from perfect, but we’ll be with each other. That’s what will make it okay,� I said, remembering our dilemmas with Harry and Malfoy.

Ginny and I linked arms and practically marched downstairs and into the Great Hall feeling very confident. As the doors to the Great Hall opened by themselves, some students gawked at us for being oh-so fashionably late. Ginny and I grinned knowingly at each other, but our attention was soon captivated by the decoration of the Great Hall. Two enormous hippogriff ice sculptures were placed at the entrance; each with a stern expression on their faces. As my eyes flitted upwards, I caught sight of the ceiling. Snow gently fell from the ceiling, disappearing before it could touch a single solitary object. Though it was snowing, the faint glimmer of stars could be seen through the thin clouds. The walls of the Great Hall all had been transformed into life-size winter landscape paintings that made you feel as if you were really outside, dancing carefree in the snow. On the far side of the hall, the Weird Sisters’ stage was set up, and they were currently singing their hit song, setting the mood for the dance. In the center, everyone was dancing like there was no tomorrow. Along the walls were small café-sized tables made of ice. The chairs at the tables sat two, and the backs of the chairs were created to imitate snowflakes. If you compared all of the chairs, you could see that there were not two chairs in the room that had identical designs. All the people who weren’t dancing were eating their dinner. The floor was also covered in snow. Not that fake, cotton snow that you see in store windows. This was real snow. It was enchanted not to melt, and it had no temperature to it either, so you didn’t freeze your feet off. The whole thing looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was gorgeous and beautifully created. I suspect that Professor Flitwick had some real fun creating all of the illusions.

Ginny and I sat at one of the ice tables near the center of the hall. It was filled with excitement and chatter. The buzz of the party definitely meant that everyone’s mindset wasn’t on Lord Voldemort for once. We both pulled out our snowflake chairs and sat down, feeling very grateful that we didn’t feel the ice beneath us.

“So now what?� I said as I examined the silverware on the table (it was made of clear crystal, if you want to know).

“What do you mean?� Ginny asked. “We’re here aren’t we? We can do practically anything we want to and get away with it,� she said, tapping her mask.

“You sound just like Fred and George,� I said.

Ginny grinned. “Good,� she said.

As I looked around, I felt that I could not recognize one person in the room. Either that or I hadn’t seen anyone I knew yet. A mask couldn’t hide everything.

“So what do you think of it so far?� I asked Ginny.

“I think it’s wonderful. The Great Hall is astonishing. I’m having trouble believing that it only took one day to decorate it, even with magic,� Ginny said.

“Yeah,� I agreed. “It’s amazing.�

“I see Malfoy,� Ginny said suddenly, sounding very miserable.

“Where?� I asked.

She nodded her head over to the dance floor. Somewhere in the center, a male with white blonde hair was surrounded by females, and was arm in arm with Pansy Parkinson.

“Oh no,� I said breathlessly. “Don’t worry about him Ginny. Tonight’s your night. I’m sure someone else will come along, just don’t think about it.�

Ginny smiled, but by the look in her eyes, I could tell that she didn’t really feel happy.

“Thanks Hermione, but I’m not really looking for anyone else.�

Just then, by some strange coincidence, a boy with dark blue robes came up to our table. He had ruffled dark brown hair, and a certain feel about him that seemed like I had met him before.

“Would you like to dance?� he asked Ginny, having eyes only for her.

I leaned over to Ginny. “Go on,� I urged at her doubtful look. “Remember, tonight is your night. Go have fun,� I said.

“Are you sure?� she whispered back uncertainly. “I don’t want to leave you here.�

“No,� I insisted. “Go ahead, I’ll be fine.�

With that, Ginny smiled warmly up at her masked stranger.

“I would love a dance,� she said, as he held out his hand for her, helping her to her feet.

“Don’t worry,� the boy said to me. “I’ll have her back by the end of the night.�

I grinned at them, watching the boy lead her to the dance floor.

After a few minutes of watching everyone else dance, a boy came up to me as well. My heart leapt up in my throat as I realized that it was Harry.

“Do you mind if I sit down?� he asked, with an unhappy expression on his face.

“Sure,� I answered. “What’s wrong with you?�

“Well,� he began. “I can’t find my friend, and I’ve been looking for her everywhere. Maybe you know her? Her name is Hermione Granger…I don’t know what she’s wearing, but maybe--�

“Harry,� I laughed. “It’s me!�

“You’re who?� he said, looking uncertainly at me.

“It’s Hermione!�

His vivid green eyes expanded in surprise as his jaw dropped.

“Hermione! You look beautiful!�

I felt my cheeks tinge pink as I grinned in embarrassment.

“You don’t look bad yourself,� I answered as I noted his bottle green robes from our fourth year.

“How did you know it was me?� he asked curiously.

“How could I not know it was you?� I responded.

“You should never answer a question with a question,� Harry joked.

“So now what?� I asked. “You found me. Are you going to ask me to dance?� I asked, half-joking.

“That was precisely what I was going to do,� he answered, even though we both knew that Harry wasn’t any good at dancing.

He held out his hand for me, and I took it willingly.

As we set out on the dance floor, we danced to another of the Weird Sisters’ hit songs. I don’t deny loving that fact that there were so many people around me, and that I loved dancing with Harry no matter how silly we both looked. After that, their song slowly faded into one of their popular ballads.

Harry and I walked almost cautiously to one another. I was completely mesmerized by his intense green eyes. I lightly placed my hands on his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He handled me carefully, like I was a piece of porcelain china, trying not to step on my feet. After the first few blunders of the feet, we settled for not moving that much. We barely moved, only to lift our feet about half an inch off the ground. Over Harry’s shoulder, I saw Ginny being led by the dark-haired boy in a series of ball room movements that I never would have expected. I smiled at her, and then looked at Harry again. Halfway through the song, I found that it was hard to breathe because Harry and I were looking at each other for such a long period of time, so I put my arms around his neck, and laid my head on his shoulder, not exactly wishing the light-headedness feeling away. I smiled to myself, feeling as if we were the only people in the entire room. My heart skipped with every breath Harry took and when he tightened his arms around me. The lead singer, Myron Wagtail, was crooning out the notes to the song. As the song quietly ended, Harry softly put his lips to my forehead and I felt like my heart was going sky-diving.

“Do you want to sit the next one out?� he whispered in my ear.

I nodded as we walked off of the dance floor. As we were walking, Harry’s hand found mine, and our fingers entwined. He felt so warm; I didn’t ever want to let him go.

We finally sat down on an ice bench that was facing one of the enormous paintings. It felt a bit silly to be staring at a wall, but then again, it looked completely real. In the picture, there was a little log cabin with smoke twirling up into the sky from its chimney. In the distance was a pine forest, and even further into the distance was a grey outline of rugged mountains. Harry sat down next to me and I laid my head on his shoulder, looking out on the landscape.

“Hermione,� Harry finally said. “You know you’re more than just a friend to me,� he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “I wanted to tell you that. Even if you don’t feel the same way as I do, I’ve told myself that I at least need to let you know. Do you remember the night of your birthday?�

I nodded. How could I ever forget that day? It was the day that I found out Seamus was cheating on me.

“I told you then, while you were sleeping. I told you that I love you,� he said. I could tell that he was having trouble saying this.

I lifted up my head to face him as I looked at him uncertainly. His eyes told me that he wasn’t lying, and I wanted so badly to believe him.

“I really do. I was too scared to tell you to your face, but now I’m not. I love you, Hermione.�

Our faces began to come close together, but suddenly tears began to well up in my eyes and stream down my face. After all this time of loving him, why was it now that I wanted to back out? I choked silently on my tears as I turned my head away.

“I- I can’t,� I managed to say, wiping my cheeks with the sleeves of my robes.

“You can’t what?� Harry asked. “Kiss me or love me?�

“Both,� I answered, sending another series of tears down my face.

“I don’t expect you to or anything, but do you mind telling me why not?� Harry asked, wiping my tears with his hands.

I sniffed. “After Seamus, I guess I’m just afraid of it all. I don’t know if I can trust anymore. I want to but I just can’t,� I said, the tears blurring my vision. I blinked, and it sent them rolling down my cheeks.

“You know that I would never lie to you, Hermione,� Harry said resolutely. And I believed him.

“Oh Harry,� I whispered. “I don’t want to fall in love again,� I almost pleaded, tears shining in my eyes.

“Don’t worry…I’ll catch you,� Harry answered.

With that, he touched my face, and my chin tilted upwards. Our lips gently locked, and my eyes slowly shut, permanently marking this as the most magical night of my life.

- H. Granger

Chapter XVIII: Everyone Loves A Good Mystery

On the morning of Christmas Eve, I awoke very early. No, it was not because of the excitement for the ball, nor for the prospect of it being the day before Christmas. I woke up with a painful feeling in my gut, and the first face that came to my conscious mind was that of Malfoy’s. I sat there, cross-legged on the crumpled sheets of my bed, thinking it over in my head. Why did Malfoy have to be the one I first thought of in the morning before I even had enough sense to formulate a thought myself? How is it that someone could possibly have that much power in my mind to completely control both my conscious and subconscious? And of all of the people in this school, why is it that Malfoy happens to be the one I am completely infatuated with? The pathetic part is that I am fully aware that fancying him is a horrible idea and that it will probably lead to an even more broken heart. I tell myself, Ginny, he can have any girl in the school he wants to have, and he has no problems with playing with any of their hearts. That’s what he lives for. Don’t let him get to you. Don’t pay him any special attention to him. Don’t make yourself obvious. And above all, don’t let him get to you. But there I was, doing precisely the opposite. I clutched a handful of sheets as my mind vainly explored the subject of Malfoy. It hurt so much to know that he didn’t care about me or at least talk to me like he used to. It frustrated me to know that I could have possibly had a chance with him, a slight one, but still a chance, but then I had to go and open my big mouth and now it’s all ruined. I felt bitter that I didn’t have his attention like the way I used to…even if it was in a small way. I’ve never captured someone’s attention like that, and getting attention from possibly the most desirable boy in Hogwarts was quite the feat. I pounded my fist into my covers, angry at myself. Lately I’ve been trying to avoid being alone. When I’m alone, I end up thinking too much about him (disregarding how I know that I shouldn’t be thinking about him) and end up feeling horrible about myself.

With that, I hopped out of my bed, the cold hard-wood floor beginning to numb my feet. I stumbled to the doorway, knocking my knee into one of my bedposts. My stomach churned a mixture of regret and hunger. As I stepped down into the common room, I noticed several random tables scattered haphazardly around the room with small house elves scurrying around, carrying clanking kettles and goblets almost overflowed with pumpkin juice. From table to table they hustled, dropping off plates, refilling goblets, picking up the ones that were finished. I had never really seen this many house elves in action, so it grabbed my attention for a moment. Someone, probably seeing the confused look on my face, mentioned to me that the Great Hall was going to be closed for the entirety of the day…up until the beginning of the masquerade. This all made perfect sense, of course.

I took a seat with a couple of girls from my year, Anabelle and Madeline. They were pretty much my year’s version of Lavender and Parvati, one could say. I didn’t mind them very much; it’s just that sometimes…well sometimes they aren’t my favorite people to be around. Now that the subject comes to mind, it must seem a bit strange that I’m mostly friends with people who are in Ron’s year. I don’t know…I think I just communicate with them better. That’s probably it.

After a while of discussing the ball with Anabelle and Madeline, I have to admit, I was pretty excited about the ball. Yes, this was despite the bitterness I was feeling that morning. When I saw Hermione come down the stairs, I was grinning from ear to ear about the Winter Masquerade Ball; Malfoy completely absent from all of my thoughts. Okay, not entirely. Anyways, I of course had to tell her about the Great Hall being closed and then a minute later, made my way back to my table. Anabelle and Madeline were still avidly chatting about the ball.

“I can’t wait to put on my robes,� Madeline said, her pale blue eyes flashing excitedly. “They’re Diagon Alley’s finest.�

“I bought some hair potion at the cutest little boutique there,� Anabelle added, twisting a strand of her dark brown hair. “They guaranteed that whenever I use it, my hair will definitely look the best.�

I ignored the overwhelming boastful tone and joined in the discussion, “My brothers bought me some new robes with their joke shop money…I think they’re really nice. I don’t know where they got them or anything, but they’re pretty.�

“Your brothers bought them for you?� Anabelle asked, surprised. “Mine would never do that for me…they wouldn’t have the money…nor the taste.�

“And how do you know her brothers have a sense of style?� Madeline asked snottily.

“First of all, my brothers own a successful joke shop, so they have plenty of money…Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes…maybe you’ve heard of it,� I said as I glared at Madeline, who gave me a disgusted look hearing about the joke shop. “And second of all, normally I don’t trust my brothers’ judgment, but you can trust my judgment when I tell you something looks good.�

I resisted the temptation of telling her that the scarf she was wearing clashed horribly with her bracelet, just to make her mad. Arguing was pointless, and I knew she didn’t mean anything of what she said; it is only her nature.

“Oh all right,� Madeline said grumpily. “I believe you.�

With that, we sped off into another conversation about which boys we wanted to see there. Madeline has a fixation for a fifth year Ravenclaw boy whom I’ve never heard of. I’ve probably seen him around here. I believe that everyone in this school has seen each other at least once; they just don’t remember their faces.

Anabelle, though, apparently has a thing going on for my brother, EW! She was barely fazed when I informed her that he was going with Susan Bones.

“Susan Bones? She’s no competition,� was her retort as her hazel eyes glazed over with passion (sick!).

But seriously, I find it all kind of gross. Especially since Anabelle is the type my brother would probably go for. Although there’s no way I’m telling her that.

“So, what about you, Ginny?� they asked. “Do you want to see anyone special there? Harry, maybe?�

“No, it’s not Harry,� I said, almost laughing. I barely considered telling them about Malfoy as he flashed into my mind, making my stomach lurch. What a big mistake that would be. Then again, having feelings for him in the first place was a big mistake. “Well, there is that Terry Boot,� I said thoughtfully. It was partly true. I met him the other day after we won the game, and he is a really fun kid. If I didn’t know better, I would say that having that much fun around a person isn’t legal. And I only was with him for a few moments.

“Yes, he’s quite something,� Madeline and Anabelle said, giving me an approving look.

“You’ve talked to him before, haven’t you?� Anabelle asked.

“Of course,� I responded, almost rolling my eyes. “I don’t think I could ever fancy someone I haven’t even talked to before,� I said as Anabelle blushed, probably thinking of Ron.

After this part of our conversation, we realized that our food and plates were long gone, so we made our way back up to our dormitory to begin getting ready for the ball. I left to take a shower, and when I came back, Anabelle and Madeline had their robes laid out and everything. I took a look at the clock, and saw that we still had several hours to get ready, it only being barely past noon. I sunk beneath my covers, with a short cat nap in mind.

Later, I was awoken by someone shaking my shoulders. I groaned as I blinked and squinted my eyes to see who it was. Unsurprisingly, it was Madeline and Anabelle.

“What is it?� I said, rolling over in my bed.

“Get out of bed, you sloth,� Madeline voiced.

“The ball is in a few hours,� Anabelle quipped. “You need time to get ready.�

It was then that I took a long look at the both of them. Completely dressed in their ball attire, they made me feel out of place as under my ragged black robes I was wearing one of Bill’s old oversized Chudley Cannons shirts and a pair of plaid fleece pants that barely fit. I did happen to notice that Madeline was right about her robes as they shimmered and changed color every few seconds. They reminded of a chameleon. A pretty sash was tied loosely around her waist as she looked at me expectantly.

“So what do you think?� she asked me. “Are these robes gorgeous or what?�

I nodded drearily, my mind still bogged down from sleep. Anabelle’s pale pink robes weren’t as extravagant; however, she still looked very pretty.

“All right,� Madeline said, hauling me out of bed. “It’s time to get to work,� she said as she nodded at Anabelle, who took out my robes for me, along with a bunch of intimidating potions hidden under a façade of tiny pink-tinted glass and tidy white bows.

I raised my eyebrows, unsure of what they were going to do, but then they ordered me to put on my robes. When I came out of the bathroom wearing my white satin robes, the girls gave each other a satisfactory look. They told me to sit in a chair while they worked together soaking my hair with various concoctions, styling it this way and that way, often arguing about what they were doing next. Eventually they settled on leaving it down, and somehow, I don’t know how, but they somehow managed to calm my thick hair and make it silky and shiny.

“Doesn’t it look great?� Anabelle asked me as she ushered me in front of the closest mirror. “That potion I bought works wonders, it does.�

“Thank you, both of you,� I told them. “I really never expected having help for the ball.�

“Oh it’s nothing,� Anabelle said humbly.

“It’s what we live for,� Madeline replied. “Don’t worry about it.�

I slipped on my shoes and took out my mask, which was made of white satin and adorned with two white feathers positioned upwards from the side at an angle. I took out some light jewelry, just a small bracelet and necklace that I received when I was younger as a gift, and put in on. Surprisingly, it was almost time to go. I decided to wait downstairs in the common room for Hermione.

When I got downstairs, I looked around at everyone decked out in evening wear. It was quite the sight. Everyone looked elegant and looked very much like royalty. I took a seat and began to watch the clock.

As the time came to leave, Hermione was still yet to make an appearance. People were beginning to leave for the Great Hall, leaving me almost completely alone in the room. Actually, five minutes later, I was completely alone in the room. I was hoping almost desperately that Hermione decided that she was going and that she wasn’t going to back out. I knew how much Harry counted on seeing her there. I could tell…everyone could tell. Thankfully, another five minutes later, she walked in through the portrait hole, smelling strongly of various perfumed soaps.

As I predicted, she hadn’t planned on going to the ball. I managed to convince her to go, and waited for her downstairs as she got ready.

Finally we made our way downstairs -Hermione looked amazing by the way…the light blue silk was stunning- and into the Great Hall. It was beautifully decorated, and I especially loved the intricate ice chandeliers hovering precariously over every table. We sat down at a table, and I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Hermione. Here she was, out on a limb, feeling very vulnerable with hurt in very close contact with her heartstrings…oh, wait a second…that was me. I could tell that Hermione felt bad for me, especially when I mentioned Malfoy’s presence at the ball. I spotted him across the floor, from his platinum blonde hair the culprit of my identity match to him. My heart sunk like a stone when I saw that none other than Pansy Parkinson was draped on his arm like some sort of trophy. She makes quite the wretched trophy, by the way. Anyways, I was just glad everyone was wearing a mask. Other than Malfoy, I couldn’t recognize anyone else there. It made me feel better, somewhat, as well. No one would have to know how I was going to sit out the whole ball pretending not to watch Malfoy and Parkinson have a grand old time. Fortunately (and surprisingly), a boy came over to our table and asked me to dance.

“Would you like to dance?� he said staring intensely at me. I felt my cheeks heat up as I flitted my gaze to Hermione. He was incredibly gorgeous, with ruffled dark brown hair and chiseled cheekbones. The midnight blue robes he wore seemed to establish a poised persona, and his figure, mainly they way he carried himself, made him look very distinguished. I began to wonder if I had met him before.

“What do I do?� I managed to hiss to her, my face still feeling red. …He was so handsome…but I was still feeling horrible about Malfoy.

“Go on,� she urged. “Remember, tonight is your night. Go have fun.�

“Are you sure?� I whispered back, my voice faltering. “I don’t want to leave you here.�

After she insisted that she would be fine, I finally let it go and accepted the masked stranger’s invitation.

He took my hand and gently led me to the dance floor. At first, I had the time of my life rocking out with him to the Weird Sisters. However, when they went on a break and brought out some musicians with violins and cellos, I expected that the boy wanted to sit out.

“Do you want to sit this out?� I asked tilting my head in the direction of the tables and glancing at their set up on the stage.

“Are you kidding?� he responded as the musicians began to play a beautiful harmony. “This is the best part,� he breathed deeply in my ear as he pulled me close.

With that, he guided me along the dance floor into a medium-paced rendition of a waltz. One, two, three, turn. One, two, three, twirl. Again, one, two, three, turn. One, two, three, twirl…so on and so forth. I’m sure I’ve made the picture clear. I must admit, he was the most amazing dancer I had ever met in my life. I really began to wonder who it was. Now I get butterflies remembering how he put his hand on my hip and held my hand with his other. Especially how I felt his gaze on me the entire time we danced. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite observe his eyes, as they were shadowed by his mask. We even danced the Minuet and the Foxtrot before we left the floor to sit at one of the tables and get some chilled beverages. Okay, so it was just water. The boy handed me a champagne flute filled with it and poured one for himself.

“So have you figured out who I am yet?� he asked as he gave me a dazzling smile as he absent-mindedly drummed his fingers on his glass.

“Oh, um, no. I hadn’t really given it much thought,� I said, a bit startled. I couldn’t really figure him out. After a while, I started to wonder if it was Terry Boot. He certainly had his hair.

“I’m sure you would never guess,� he said with another grin.

“Have we met before?� I asked.

“Oh yes,� he replied. “Indeed we have.�

“What makes you so sure that I am who you think I am?� I countered.

“Ginny, I could never mistake you for any other girl in a crowd. Ever,� he said looking at me deeply.

“I-I…wow. Who are you?� I asked breathlessly. It was then when I really began to wonder who he was. Who could it possibly be? I wagered heavily on him being Terry Boot. Or at least, I was sort of hoping he was. Terry is a really nice guy, and I could easily identify him with this masked student. And the way he said my name! Oh, for some reason, the way he said it made me tingle with electricity. Whoever this boy was, he certainly knew how to charm.

“Come with me,� he said, standing up and holding his hand out for me. He brought me to the furthest bench that was facing the paintings. “Here, sit down,� he said, patting the empty space next to him.

“I can’t…well…I mean…I don’t really know what to tell you,� he said, his elegant facial structure seeming strained.

“Just tell me who you are,� I beseeched. “Dumbledore says we’re to take off our masks at midnight anyways.�

“What if I don’t want to spoil the surprise, Tinkerelma?� he said with a playful smile.

“Don’t you mean ‘Cinderella’?� I asked, trying not to laugh, but giving him a big toothy grin instead. He obviously didn’t know much about the muggle world. Neither do I, but that’s not really the point.

“Yeah. Her. Whatever,� he said as his face flushed. “That’s what I meant. You know what I meant,� he said sounding embarrassed.

“It’s all right,� I said, reaching out timidly and touching his cheek.

“Everyone loves a good mystery. Would you really like to spoil the surprise?� he said as he sighed deeply and put his hand over my hand that was on his cheek.

I nodded. “Very much so.�

He then brought my hand to his mask. “All right then. Go ahead. Take it off,� he said with an uncertain tone. “But before you find out my identity, I’d just like to know if you had a nice night.�

“Oh yes,� I assured him. “It was perfect,� I said, pushing Malfoy out of my mind.

“Okay, thank you. I needed to hear that,� he said taking his hand off of mine. “Well go ahead, nothing’s stopping you now.�

My hands almost shook with the anticipation of finally being able to look this boy in the eyes. I carefully removed the mask from his face, causing some of his dark brown hair to fall over his forehead.

Then I gasped with an overwhelming sense of recognition. He was right.

I would have never guessed.

Chapter XIX: Sugar and Spice

The mask I took off of his face had me staring directly into the slate grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.

“Wh-…I, uhm,…you called me Ginny!� I sputtered.

“That wasn’t quite one of the reactions I envisioned,� Malfoy said with a slightly amused tone, but still looking very uncomfortable.

“Explain yourself,� I demanded, feeling a bit disturbed at this revelation. “Starting off with why do you have brown hair and who is that guy who looks exactly like you?�

Malfoy’s thin lips formed into a slight frown. “Well, I don’t know how to put this in any other words…so I’ll just be frank about it. It…it was for you. I did this all for you.�

“Did what? And why? I am completely lost,� I said as I buried my head in my hands. Then a theory came to mind. “Wait—was this all a joke? An elaborate prank?� I almost exploded.

“Oh no, no not at all,� Malfoy reassured me quickly. “Let me explain. Well I’ve been missing you quite a bit lately. I know I was the one avoiding you, but after I got over myself, I couldn’t quite gather the nerve to suddenly start talking to you again. And of course the masquerade came up, and I figured you would be going, so I decided that this was my chance. I supposed that even with a mask, you and everyone else would be able to deduce my identity because of my hair…so I got Theodore Nott to change his hair color with some hair potion I whipped up, and I, as well, changed mine. I just wanted to be with you on normal terms, you know?�

“How did Parkinson not notice the difference between you and Theodore?�

“You must be joking,� Malfoy scoffed. “Her IQ is equivalent to that of a rock. A very big one.�

I let a small giggle escape my lips. “All right, where did you learn to mix hair potion?�

Malfoy gave me a playful glare. “Professor Snape, if you really must know. He wasn’t even curious about the reason.�

“Why would you do this all for me?� I asked quietly, on a more serious note.

Malfoy’s features became darker as I noticed him trying to hide his emotions. “I don’t know how to explain this…and with my luck, it will come out of my mouth sounding incredibly stupid. I really like you. There’s something about you that I just can’t seem to put my finger on.�

I restrained my jaw from dropping open. Here was Malfoy, the boy I just spent an incredible night with, telling me wonderful things about myself. It was more than I ever dreamt could happen, but there we were, sitting on a bench together, and Malfoy was looking at me the way you would look at an angel: captivated, but pleased.

“You are never afraid to speak your mind,� he continued. “Especially to tell me off,� he chuckled. “No one really does that. They’re mostly all afraid of me. You also have the best sense of humor out of anyone I’ve ever met…which doesn’t say much when you consider the people I was raised with, but still. And, of course, it also helps that you are the most beautiful girl in school.�

“Do you really think so?� I asked, blushing.

“In my eyes,� he said, locking his gaze on mine. “By far.�

“I suppose I’ve got something to confess as well. I feel the same way about you. Ever since I’ve really started talking to you, I’ve been fixed.�

Malfoy’s grey eyes sparked as his jaw slackened. “I never knew that.�

“Well I obviously did a good job of hiding it then.�

Malfoy grinned as he put his arm around me and pulled me close to him. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. I could have never imagined this. A Weasley and a Malfoy. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin. This all seemed so unreal.

“You called me Ginny,� I said softly as I moved my head to the side, inhaling the faintest hint of expensive cologne.

“I had to say it out loud at least once. Especially since I thought when you found out that it was me, you were going to make a break for it and I’d never have a chance to say it again.�

“Never,� I assured him.

“So what do you think about the new hair color?� he asked, blowing at a dark tress that fell across his forehead.

“I love it, but personally, you just wouldn’t be Malfoy without the blonde.�

“So what do you say we go out there and dance some more before everyone finds about you and I?� he inquired as he reached for his mask.

“Sounds like a plan,� I answered, letting him take my hand.

It was all too dream-like, Malfoy and I…together. Was this even possible, let alone probable? Apparently it was. Malfoy cut down on the dancing when we returned to the dance floor, meaning there was much less waltzing as the Weird Sisters were back. I couldn’t fight the perm-a-grin that was plastered onto my face, so I let it stay there.

“Where did you learn to dance?� I asked suddenly as he gently dipped me during one of their slower songs.

Malfoy looked startled at first, but then regained his cool composure. “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies, Weasley.�

“I see you have switched back to calling me Weasley,� I noted. “Any reason why?�

“It’s a habit,� Malfoy stated. “Think of it as a pet name. Don’t worry; I haven’t fooled myself into believing that you’ve once called me Draco, so I believe we’re square.�

We left the dance floor once again for some water. I sat down at one of the snowflake chairs as Malfoy went to get the glasses of water. Shortly later, two arms reached over each of my shoulders to set down the flutes filled with water. Then the hands covered my eyes.

“Guess who?� a soothing voice questioned.

“Malfoy,� I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes…not that he would have seen anyways.

“Nope,� the voice that was obviously Malfoy’s answered. The cool hands against my face that were covering my eyes still remained there.

“Well, hmm, I dunno then,� I said, but I was unable to say anymore as a pair of lips met mine in an exhilarating kiss. For every second that our lips locked, another jolt of electrifying bliss passed from his lips to mine. He finally released me, but not before tenderly kissing my forehead. He lowered himself and put his cheek against mine, which was in blazes, and kept his gaze forward.

“Wow, you are really warm,� he observed. “Do you have a fever?�

I shook my head. “No…I…I’m fine,� I said, feeling at a great loss for words.

As we finished our water, people slowly began to leave the hall and get ready for bed. After all, it was Christmas the next morning. Malfoy and I soon got up as well, with great reluctance. We were having an interesting conversation about poetry, surprisingly. We both agree that poetry is meant for the reader’s interpretation of the language and not whatever standardized thoughts other people try to force onto you. Malfoy wrapped his arm around my waist as I once again made use of his shoulder as a head rest, walking up to the Gryffindor common room.

“How do you know where the Gryffindor common room is?� I asked curiously.

He laughed as he squeezed my hand. “No offense, but who doesn’t know? With all of the Gryffindors proudly strutting around it all the time, it’s a bit difficult not to notice.�

When we finally reached the portrait after the final staircase, I had to let go of his hand, unfortunately.

“So this is good night then?� I asked meekly.

“It appears that it is,� Malfoy answered serenely. Then I noticed a small glimmer in his sharp eyes as he looked down the hallway and then back at me. As he smiled, he bit his lip, looking absolutely dashing. Before I knew what had hit me, I was once again wrapped up in his arms and receiving (and giving, I’m almost ashamed to admit) series of passionate kisses. Malfoy tilted up my chin as I somehow ended up against the wall, with my hands on the sides of his angular face, and his hands were lost somewhere in my hair.

“You are the most amazing girl I have ever met,� he breathed huskily into my ear.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and as I glanced over his shoulder, I spotted none other than Harry and Hermione walk past, arm in arm. Hermione gave me a very quizzical look as she passed. I coughed quietly, and then Malfoy looked up as well, with the faintest tinge of pink coloring his high cheekbones and dark brown hair disheveled. Harry raised an eyebrow as they went through the portrait hole.

I coughed again. “I…I suppose I should go then,� I advised, clearing my throat.

“I suppose you should,� he agreed, still looking uncomfortable.

I then turned for the portrait, where the Fat Lady was looking at me impatiently.

“You adolescents these days…can barely keep your trousers on,� she said, holding a glass of deep red wine. “Any day now, please. Violet is having a party, and I would very much like to attend. Whenever you’re ready.�

I reddened at her comment. Then I felt Malfoy take my hand in his slender pianist hands once more as I took a step towards the Fat Lady. I turned around to see him bow his head down to kiss my hand. When he lifted his head, he winked at me.

“Good night, gorgeous. Merry Christmas,� he murmured to me as he watched me go.

I wanted to die. It was the best night of my life, and I wanted to die happy.

“Password?� The Fat Lady asked shrilly. “I can’t wait for you all night.�

“All right, all right,� I responded. “Mistletoe.�

The Fat Lady’s painting moved to the side so I could crawl through the portrait hole. When I entered the common room, I noticed Harry and Hermione sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. They were doing a bit more than sitting, actually. I grinned widely as I made my way up to the dormitory and collapsed onto my four-poster bed for some well deserved sleep.

~*~

The next morning, I awoke to the enthusiastic chatter of Anabelle and Madeline. Ice frosted the window panes next to my bed and the fire crackled friendlily in the fireplace across the room which was decorated with holly and red velvet bows. It was Christmas morning. I shuffled through my trunk to fish out the snow globe I bought a couple weeks ago at Hogsmeade when I was feeling terrible at Malfoy. I took my wand and tapped it so that it was wrapped in silver paper and tied with curls of green ribbon. I planned to take it down up to the Owlery after I opened my presents.

Anabelle and Madeline giggled as they saw that I had awoken.

“Did you have a good time last night?� Anabelle asked curiously.

“Yes,� added Madeline. “We caught a glimpse of you last night, and it appeared that you were having quite an enjoyable evening.�

“So who was he?� Anabelle asked, beaming from ear to ear.

I looked from Anabelle to Madeline. Thankfully, at that moment, Hermione came into our dormitory holding Crookshanks. Crookshanks looked like he was full of Christmas cheer as he wore a collar with a giant jingle bell on a red bow.

“Merry Christmas!� Hermione exclaimed as she saw me. She dropped Crookshanks on my bed as she walked over to me.

“Merry Christmas, Hermione,� I responded as I ignored Anabelle and Madeline. They frowned at each other as they went back to opening their presents at the foot of their beds. Hermione looked quite ecstatic this morning. More than usual. I knew why, but I wasn’t about to say anything…yet.

“Have you unwrapped your gifts yet?� Hermione asked as she took a seat on my bed.

“No, actually,� I answered. “I haven’t even seen them yet.�

“Oh?� she said surprised. “I was about to compliment your flowers.�

“Flowers?� I asked, slightly intrigued. “I’ve gotten flowers? But how? It’s winter.�

“I dunno,� Hermione said carelessly. “Magic, maybe?� she said with a hint of sarcasm.

“Shut up,� I said as I gave her a shove and went to see the presents at the foot of my bed.

Incredibly, there was a massive arrangement of flowers in a red tinted glass vase bordered with fake snow. The flowers inside were absolutely extraordinary. Gold roses, red daffodils, and exotic-looking flowers that I couldn’t identify filled it. A note was attached to the vase.

It read, “You, Darling, are the best Christmas present I could’ve ever asked for. You bring me joy…and as odd as this sounds, you remind me of cinnamon. For the loveliest girl in the whole school. Love, DM.�

I couldn’t suppress the vast smile that had crept onto my face.

“I think I know who that is from,� Hermione said in an ominous tone.

“Oh, I bet you do. Who do you think it is?� I asked, challenging her.

“Does the name Terry Boot ring a bell?� she said smiling.

My eyebrows rose in confusion. What? Then I realized what she was talking about. I forgot to tell her about Malfoy. All she saw was the dark brown locks, like I did at first sight.

“Um no,� I said. “Actually, it’s Malfoy,� I said quietly.

“Oh, Gin,� Hermione said, putting her hand on my back. “Forget about him.� She obviously didn’t understand what I was saying.

“It’ll be a little hard to forget about him if he keeps sending me flowers,� I said excitedly as I pulled out a gold rose from the vase and waved it in her direction.

Hermione gasped and her eyes became big. “What do you mean?� she asked in a hushed voice.

“That boy wasn’t Terry Boot at the ball,� I said as I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around my knees. “It was Malfoy.�

“No way.�

I explained to her what happened over the course of the night.

“I can’t believe it,� Hermione said, shocked. “That was really sweet of him. I didn’t know Malfoy was capable of that. The flowers are amazing.�

“I still can’t get over it,� I said, nodding. “So how was your night?�

Hermione got a dreamy look in her eyes. “It was magical,� she whispered.

Apparently Harry finally got around to telling her how he feels about her. Finally. It’s took him long enough.

“And look what he gave me for Christmas!� she exclaimed, thrusting out a book. “Classic love stories of the seventeenth century…how incredibly thoughtful!�

I didn’t bother telling her that I suggested the gift to Harry. Instead, I opened the rest of my presents.

“Thanks for the book, Hermione,� I told her. Unsurprisingly, she had given me a copy of Hogwarts, a History. I had foreseen this coming when she was completely shocked that I didn’t own a copy of the “most ingenious book of the century.�

“I saw you and Malfoy last night when I came upstairs,� Hermione recalled coyly. “You know, it’s a bit tasteless to do that stuff in public like that.�

“Okay,� I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “First of all, there was no one in that hallway to begin with. Second of all, don’t be such a hypocrite. I saw you and Harry on the common room sofa last night. That isn’t the most private place either, you know.�

Hermione turned pink and didn’t say another word about it.

Hermione later got up to go and eat breakfast down at the Great Hall. I reached out for my gift to Malfoy and went to follow her.

“Who are the flowers from?� Madeline asked me as I was about to walk out. Anabelle nudged her.

I sighed. “Can you keep a secret?� I finally said.

Madeline nodded eagerly.

“Good, so can I,� I stated as I turned by back to them and walked down the stone stairwell.

After dropping the gift off at the Owlery, I went down to the Great Hall and sat with Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were talking seriously in hushed tones.

“Merry Christmas,� I said as I grabbed a bagel. “Mind telling me what the matter is?�

“Can I tell her?� Hermione asked the boys.

Harry and Ron looked at each other. “Yes,� Ron said, “But don’t tell anyone else. This information is important.�

“Okay,� I agreed.

“Well,� Harry began, “We’ve found out that Snape is going to be a Death Eater spy.�

“You mean he’s joining the Death Eaters?� I asked, shocked.

“No,� Ron said. “He’s going to spy on the Death Eaters for the Order of the Phoenix.�

“What if he gets caught?� I asked. “What will happen to him?�

“That’s a risk he is willing to take,� Hermione said sadly. “We need to do something as soon as possible.�

“Like what?� I inquired.

“I still need to figure that part out,� she said as she rested her head in her hands.

“Wait a second,� I said slowly. “How did you find this out?�

Hermione looked at Harry and Ron who looked at each other nervously.

“Well, uh,� Harry began, “We kind of passed Snape’s classroom this morning where he was talking about this with Dumbledore. We couldn’t help but overhear.�

“As usual,� I said as I spread jam on my bagel.

When owl post came, I was anxious to see Malfoy’s reaction to my present. I hoped he would like it. A flurry of various owls swept over the Great Hall, and I saw a familiar green and silver package drop in front of Malfoy at the Slytherin table. I uneasily watched for his reaction as he carefully opened the paper. When he unwrapped the snow globe, he held it up to the light, and when he set it down, he looked over to me and smirked. He then got up and began to head over to the Gryffindor table. Was this how everyone was going to find out about us? Right at that moment? I slowly stood up as heads began to turn.

“Thank you for the present, Weasley,� Malfoy said as he wrapped his arms around me. I laid my head against his chest.

Harry’s expression morphed into horror, and Ron got up and started yelling.

“Get you filthy hands off of my sister!� Ron said, his face turning red. Malfoy stepped back. “What do you think you’re getting at, you miserable ferret? That’s my sister! What in the bloody hell could possibly be going through your mind right now? She’s my sister! I don’t want to see anybody, especially you, touching her!�

“Ron, calm down,� I told him as Hermione tugged at the sleeves of his robes, getting him to sit back down. By now, everyone in the Great Hall was staring at us. Harry and Ron both looked like they were about to strangle someone. Especially Ron.

“What’s going on?� Harry demanded, as Hermione attempted to cool Ron off.

Malfoy looked down at me. “Well, like it or not, Potter, Weasley and I are…together,� he said softly. “How we can either fight about it, or treat the matter like civilized human beings,� he said, extending his hand.

Hermione pulled Harry and Ron’s heads into a huddle as she talked to them and explained quickly. Ron came out of the huddle looking horrified, but he didn’t say a word. Harry solemnly took Malfoy’s hand and shook it.

“Truce, then?� Malfoy asked. Ron looked at him, disgusted.

“Fine,� Harry said firmly.

“You better treat my little sister the way she deserves to be treated, or else you’re going to have to answer to me,� threatened Ron.

“Let it go,� I told Ron. “I can handle things myself. I’m fifteen, not five.�

Ron glared at Malfoy before sitting back down and muttering to Harry angrily.

“C’mon Malfoy, let’s go,� I said leading him away from Harry and Ron, in the direction of the library. We received many odd stares from other students as we walked out of the Great Hall. An unthinkable thing had happened. A relationship between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin now existed.

~*~

The next few days were the hardest to overcome. I kept getting awkward stares, and even Anabelle and Madeline had let the subject go. Whenever Malfoy and I were together, other students would look away, or straight past us, as if they were ashamed for us. Malfoy’s old fan club seemed to enjoy giving me the death glare whenever I passed them.

One day, while Malfoy and I were sitting by the frozen lake, I got fed up as a third year Hufflepuff walked past, giving us a dirty glare. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something about all of this. I was lying in Malfoy’s arms, but I suddenly sat up with tears forming in my eyes.

“What’s the matter?� Malfoy asked, concerned.

“Is it really worth it?� I choked out, my eyes shining with tears. “You know, you and me? Doesn’t everyone just make you feel terrible? The way they look at us…it’s as if they’re looking at the reptile house at the zoo. I thought it would be okay if everyone knew about us. It would’ve even helped the school, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin becoming friends. I suppose it only made things worse.�

Malfoy wrapped me up in his arms as I sobbed quietly on his shoulder. “You were making things better,� he said. “You were doing the right thing and you had good intentions. Don’t you remember everyone at school droning on about how all of the houses need to form relationships with each other? Especially Granger. So you did the right thing, and you were the only one who managed to break through to us Slytherins…or at least to me. It just turns out that the rest of the school is a bunch of filthy hypocrites,� he comforted me as he rubbed my back.

I talked to Hermione about this later that day, and she sat quietly, listening.

“I’ve noticed what you’re talking about,� Hermione said. “I’ve tried talking some sense into them, but they just won’t hear it. I have, though, thought up something.�

“Go on,� I said miserably.

“Well you know how Malfoy practically rules the Slytherin house. If you could convince him to talk to the other Slytherins about interschool relations, they would probably listen to him. I mean, we need to do this as soon as possible. If he could get that lot to join the D.A., the entire school would be united. Okay, get this,� Hermione said, placing her hands on her knees of her crossed legs. “New Year’s Eve party in the Room of Requirement. It’ll give me a chance to talk to everyone about our goal as a school. It would really help if Malfoy could get his Slytherin cronies to attend.�

“New Year’s Eve party?� I repeated. “But that’s tonight. We’re going to have to do this all today?�

“Just take care of the Slytherins,� Hermione told me, “And I’ll take care of the rest. Gin, don’t mind the other students, I’ll have them taken care of by tonight. They’ll see how wrong they were about judging you two.�

“Thank you Hermione,� I said as I gave her a hug.

I left the common room feeling much better about everything after Hermione assured me that things would be fine. I walked downstairs aimlessly, hoping to run into Malfoy somewhere in the castle. Thankfully, this was achieved when I spotted him in the Great Hall at the Slytherin table. I sat down with him, and he agreed to Hermione’s request full heartedly.

“Don’t worry,� Malfoy said. “I can get the whole house to come.�

“Okay,� I said eagerly. “Just remember that when pacing in front of the Room of Requirement, they’re looking for a party.�

“All right,� Malfoy said as I got up to leave, ready to face everyone again at the party tonight.

I spent most of the time leading up to the party in my dormitory, hoping that Hermione was taking care of things like she said that she would. I knew she would keep her word, but the whole thing just made me really anxious. At eight o’clock, I knew it was time to head down to the Room of Requirement. I gathered myself, and went walked downstairs, and out of the common room, as everyone else seemed to be leaving for it as well.

When I reached the Room of Requirement, someone was all ready pacing in front of the door, and everyone else waited behind him for the door to appear. On the boy’s third pace, a large mahogany door appeared with a giant gold handle. The boy opened it to reveal the decorated room. I stepped inside to find an enormous countdown clock on the opposite side of the wall counting down the hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds until it was the New Year. The people around me seemed much friendlier to me than they had been these past few days. Apparently Hermione had talked some sense into these people when she invited them all here. Thank Merlin for Hermione. Multi-colored streamers hung against the walls and different colored lights constantly flashed around the room.

“What do you think?� Hermione asked from behind me.

I turned around. “It’s amazing!� I said.

“It looks like you have someone here for you,� she said nodding her head in the direction of the doorway. In the door, Malfoy stood, and behind him crowded what seemed to be the entire house of Slytherin. They were looking around at everyone apprehensively, and didn’t look quite sure as to what they were doing there in the first place.

Malfoy spotted me and came over as his kissed me on the cheek.

“You brought everyone,� I said, amazed.

“I told you I would do it,� Malfoy said, pleased with himself. “It wasn’t too difficult either.

As everyone began to fill the room, music began to play from nowhere. People crowded to the center of the room and started dancing.

“Does this remind you of anything?� Malfoy said as he took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

We spent hours dancing, just like at the masquerade, and then stopped to pass by the large table of assorted food that Hermione had provided us all with. I only took a goblet of water as I was still full from dinner. When I set down my goblet, Malfoy took my hand and twirled me, pulling me closer to him.

“Would you mind answering me one thing?� Malfoy requested.

“Anything,� I said as I placed my hands on his shoulders.

“Why are you so incredibly astonishing?�

“How did I get lucky enough to meet you?�

“They say you should never answer a question with a question,� Malfoy advised.

“Since when do we listen to what they say?� I asked alluringly as I pulled him forward in an enticing kiss.

Malfoy pulled me even closer when he placed his hands on the small of my back. My hands were on his chest and clenched a fistful of his robes as he gave me another thrilling kiss. When our heads moved away from each other, I looked at him almost timidly. I let one of my hands carelessly comb through Malfoy’s tresses that were back to his natural white blonde color.

“May I have your attention please?� I heard Hermione’s voice call out as the music volume lowered. She stood on a table in the middle of the dance floor with Harry next to her. The clock behind her kept on counting down, very close to midnight. “I would just like to thank you all for coming here. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’m sure the New Year will bring us plenty of good prospects to look forward to, like defeating Lord Voldemort. I would like to say that I am glad our school has finally been able to unite, and that everyone here has accepted that we need to be friendly with everyone…and that’s including the Slytherins,� she said as I got a couple glances my way. “I know that this will pay off in a very big way, and none of you will forget it. The D.A. will continue meeting every week, so I except all of you to come,� she said as she turned her head to the clock, which was seconds away from reaching zero. “Oh, and one more thing,� she added, grabbing Harry’s hand. “Happy New Year!�

A bunch of fireworks exploded high above our heads in the high-vaulted ceiling as the clock hit zero. “Fireworks courtesy of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes!� I heard Ron shout out from the crowd.

Confetti and streamers rained down on our heads as cheers broke out among the students. I smiled to myself as I saw Harry kiss Hermione, all the while still standing on that table. I then turned to Malfoy, who also gave me a kiss.

“Looks like everyone is on our side again. Even if they weren’t I know that you would get through it,� Malfoy said to me.

“Of course,� I answered him. “What do think I’m made of?�

“Sugar,� Malfoy said decidedly.

“You forgot spice,� I said wagging my finger at him. “I’m mostly made of spice.�

“Naturally,� Malfoy retorted as he gave me a charming smile and then pulled me in for another kiss. I must say, I definitely was excited about the prospects of this New Year.

Chapter XX: Tick Tock, Tick Tock

I can’t believe I keep losing this book. I’m not careless at all; I know where I put things, and this was definitely not where I left it. Just as long as no one has been reading through this, I’ll be fine.

I’m sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, watching the flames dance and flicker. The clock is slowly ticking away minutes of my life and a seventh year boy is skillfully playing the piano in the corner. His fingers dance across the ivory keys quickly, slowly, and everything in between. The melody and harmony have fused together to produce a piece of music so entrancing that I’ve decided to write after such a long time away from this. There’s something about music that makes me want to get up and do something with myself. I suppose that right now it is writing in this journal.

I do have some breaking news. It’s about Harry and me. Well that’s exactly it. Harry and me. That’s all there is really to say. Oh, and of course, Ginny and Malfoy. Ginny and Malfoy, can you believe it? Now, Malfoy still isn’t one of my favorite people, but I know how much he means to Ginny, and I’m up for cooperating with him since Ginny insists on it. Of course, Harry and Ron (especially Ron) are still having trouble accepting Malfoy into our lives as a normal human being and not a stuck-up spoiled prat as he was seen by us prior. He is a bit much to deal with, I must admit, with his overly-inflated ego (his fan club does not help at all to fix that) and his knack for believing that his opinion is always the right one. This is quite difficult to deal with at the DA meetings, though my authority always overrules his. I don’t know exactly how this works, but Ginny isn’t fazed by his bad traits at all. In fact, I don’t even think she notices them. In her eyes, Malfoy is the perfect guy, quite the angel. Heaven sent, even. She talks about him like this all the time. Of course, it does help that he showers her with every ounce of love and affection that he’s got. This is the reason I restrain Ron from attacking Malfoy every time he sees Malfoy and Ginny together; he makes her happy. A lot more than happy, if you ask me.

But if you’re curious, dear journal, about how my life with Harry has been, then I will not disappoint you. My days of being with him are the most memorable and touching days of my life. One particularly stands out to me, aside from the evening of the masquerade, of course. New Year’s Eve.

Now, the day of New Year’s Eve started out particularly drab, especially with Ginny’s worries coating everything that was going on. No one seemed to be accepting the relationship between her and Malfoy, even though they all had agreed on working for interschool cooperation and relations. She was a mess, she was. Moping around the halls, crimson hair a mess, half deprived of food for fear of walking through the Great Hall; she was a disaster. The only thing that brightened those few days of misery was Malfoy. I’m glad he was able to be there for her when she wasn’t in the mood to talk to me. Oh, and the nasty, wicked things people were saying about her behind her back. Some called her a blood traitor, some spread outrageous rumors of her secretly pledging allegiance to the Dark Lord. When she came to pour out some of her heart to me about this on the morning of New Year’s Eve, I knew I had to dispel all of this gossip that was going on about her. I mean, she is one of my best friends. That was when I came up with my idea. A New Year’s Eve party.

Okay, so part of the idea came from my lack of sleep and tiny remnants of my giddiness from the masquerade ball only a few days before this, but it was still an excellent idea, if I do say so myself. The plan was to invite everyone I possibly could to come up to the Room of Requirement for a big get together, but they would only get invited if they heard me out about Ginny’s situation. When I did go up to the numerous students, they all listened to me, and surprisingly, most of them even felt guilty about their feelings toward the Ginny and Malfoy situation.

“I hadn’t really thought of Malfoy as a person before,� Hannah Abbott told me when I invited her, “So when I heard that poor Ginny had gotten mixed up with him, I was convinced that he was playing some sort of cruel joke on her. Either that, or Ginny was taking a turn to the dark side.�

“Neither of them are any different from when they started dating each other,� I told her. “All Ginny wants is for all of us students to accept her and Malfoy. You should look at yourselves, saying these nasty things about her, pretending that she doesn’t exist. You’ve destroyed her. Have you seen her recently? She’s a catastrophe, and she doesn’t deserve this anymore than any of us do.�

“I feel terrible,� Hannah replied, with tears welling up in her eyes. “I’ve never thought about it like that before. I feel so horrible.�

That’s how all of my conversations pretty much went, but of course, very few of them involved tears of guilt. After I was finished inviting people, I still had a lot to set up in preparation for the party. I started out with owling Fred and George at their joke shop, sending a request in for the best firework show that they’ve got in stock. Surprisingly, I got back an instant response from them, with a gigantic multicolored box carried by seven owls. Their note to me read something like this:

Dearest Hermione,
We appreciate your letter for an urgent supply of our fireworks (after all, they are the best out there). We’ve given you the best show we’ve thought up yet! It hasn’t even been put out on the market yet. And get this, it is being given to you at no cost whatsoever! Okay, so maybe there are a few kinks in the show (the chameleon changes from green, to blue, to a duck, and the cartwheel fireworks tend to get a bit violent; nasty, actually), but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t that what you’ve always told us? So we made this batch especially for our favorite sixth year Gryffindor muggleborn girl…oh wait, you’re the only one who fits that description. Ha ha ha, just joking with you, Hermione. But anyways, we sincerely hope that you enjoy these, because we always promote the careless use of our products under the roof of Hogwarts. Tell us how it goes, we can’t wait to hear about it!
With Love,
Fred & George

I laughed to myself at their note. The typical things they write. It was sad not having them here this year. Not that I would tell them this and inflate their egos, but they are the two funniest people I have ever met, and though they caused a lot of trouble, even I must admit that they were really fun to be around. Now enough ego-boosting, I still had a lot to do, even after I received Fred and George’s ‘generous gift’ of malfunctioning fireworks (hey, I was on a tight budget…make that no budget).

Shortly thereafter, I ran into Ginny who looked absolutely dreadful. I waited until she finished giving me that day’s morbid report of how she was feeling and then told her about my plan. She was a little doubtful at first, but finally, I was able to bring her into the light. All I asked of her was to get Malfoy to bring all of the Slytherins to the New Year’s Eve party. So started my plan for school unification. Malfoy has the most influence over his house out of any of the other Slytherins, and luckily, he just happens to be Ginny’s boyfriend. Using his influence, hopefully I’ll be able to show the Slytherins that it’s necessary that we all work together, especially since Lord Voldemort is all ready fully recovered, and growing in support. Fortunately, Ginny agreed to this and went on to spread the word. I’m a little surprised at myself, but I’m glad Malfoy is around to take care of her. Although she has plenty of fire inside of her…sometimes that fire is reduced to hot coals.

Thoughts of the New Year’s Eve party, Ginny, and school unification tumbled around inside my head until I practically tumbled into someone myself.

“Oompf!� a male voice breathed as I knocked the wind out of him by unknowingly walking straight into his figure. As I ruefully brushed off his robes muttering apologies, his two arms encircled me, and I slowly looked up to see two glittering green eyes gazing into mine.

“Harry,� I smiled, leaning into his body.

“Hermione,� he responded, kissing my forehead.

“I have something to talk to you about,� I said stepping back, proceeding to tell him all about my party plans.

“That’s an excellent idea,� Harry replied enthusiastically after I finished.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come upstairs with me to help decorate and get everything together,� I offered. “Oh, and do try to get Ron too. I’ll be needing a lot of help.�

“Sure,� Harry responded. “Tick tock, time is all ready against us. I’ll meet you up there soon,� he called, all ready halfway up the staircase.

I smiled to myself. Harry, Harry, what a catch. When I reached the Room of Requirement, I paced back and forth wishing desperately for a big room fit for a party. I opened the large gold handle of the mahogany door to find that I would have a lot of work to do. Well, not so much with the help of a little magic. A shiny hardwood floor stretched across the room, their infinity interrupted by four gorgeous cream colored walls that unfortunately were depressingly bare. A beautiful vaulted ceiling resided over the room, making sure that whatever went on in this room was sure to be kept quiet. Frowning, I pointed my wand at the empty walls and paintbrushes appeared, furiously painting contemporary masterpieces, much like I had seen in a book I recently read about modern art in the twentieth century. I then placed multicolored flashing lights all around the room near the ceiling, and wished for several tables with tablecloths (for the food of course).

I looked around to admire the work I had done thus far. The great mahogany door burst open, making me jump. I turned around abruptly to find Harry and Ron standing in the doorway.

“Well done, Hermione,� Ron said looking around and nodding in approval. “Is there anything I can do?�

“Yes, actually,� I replied. “I kind of need food. A lot of it.�

“Now, there’s no sense in eating your feelings,� Ron said. “We have a party to set up, remember?�

I sent Ron a death glare that sent him out the door, but not without sending me a silly grin. I looked over at Harry who was running his hand over the white tablecloth next to me. He grabbed my hand and walked his fingers up my arm.

“Now that we’re alone,� he whispered heavily into my ear, voice laced with seduction as his hand brushed the side of my face. I felt nervous for a second, until I looked at him and noticed the laughter in his eyes. “Only joking, Hermione,� he chuckled as he gave me an innocent kiss. Then he cocked an eyebrow and gave me a mysterious smile, “…unless you don’t want me to.�

“Oh, you’re a real Casanova,� I scoffed at his joke, playfully pushing him. We both know that he has about as much knowledge in the female department as Professor Binns at a Weird Sisters concert.

We spent the rest of the day running around the room, making sure everything was to be perfect and also making sure people knew about it. After all of our hard work, Harry, Ron, and I collapsed on a huge plush sofa that we set up for the party.

“I’m exhausted all ready,� Ron sighed. “All partied out, and the party hasn’t even begun.�

“Well that’s a shame,� a different voice came from the doorway. We looked up to see Ernie Macmillan standing there, with what looked like (and probably was) the entire Hufflepuff house behind him. “Do you want us to be leaving then?� he smiled.

I jumped up, and looked at one of the timepiece I placed on the walls. Tick tock, tick tock. It was all ready eight o’clock! “Come on in,� I said, switching into hostess mode.

A load of people quickly followed. Who knew teenagers could be so punctual? Well, except for the Slytherins…they were “fashionably� an hour late. The rest of the night was wonderful and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. What seems to have been a miracle was happening before my very eyes. Slytherins casually chatted with some of the other houses. They all seemed a little unwilling at first, but later they seemed to almost enjoy each other’s presence. As the giant countdown clock began to near zero, I took a stand with Harry on one of the tables.

“May I have your attention please?� I called out timidly at first. “I would just like to thank you all for coming here. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’m sure the New Year will bring us plenty of good prospects to look forward to, like defeating Lord Voldemort. I would like to say that I am glad our school has finally been able to unite, and that everyone here has accepted that we need to be friendly with everyone…and that’s including the Slytherins,� I shot a couple of glances at Ginny. “I know that this will pay off in a very big way, and none of you will forget it. The D.A. will continue meeting every week, so I expect all of you to come,� I said as I noticed that the clock was quickly approaching zero. “Oh, and one more thing,� I added, grabbing Harry’s hand. “Happy New Year!�

Right on cue, Fred and George’s supply of fireworks exploded overhead, without any problems at all. I suppose they just were just joking in the letter they sent with them. Multicolored confetti and streamers poured down from overhead for the next five minutes. Harry suddenly pulled me close to him, still on top of the table, and gave me a long kiss. I blushed furiously since we were in front of the entire student body, and nonetheless, on top of a table.

“Happy New Year, Hermione,� he crooned in my ear.

My happiness, however, was tainted by a faint uneasiness in my stomach. What could possibly be wrong? I looked past Harry to the countdown clock that was flashing 00:00:00:00. I scanned the roomed with my eyes to see everyone celebrating together, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. As my eyes settled back on the countdown clock flashing zero, a faint noise reminded me of a problem I had almost too easily forgotten. Tick tock, tick tock, a clock in my head chimed. Even though a new year brings new opportunities, it also brings new problems. Who knows when Lord Voldemort will strike? Something told me that we were running out of time. Or is it only me?

- H. Granger