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More Important Things	By : twitchelittleferret Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 15269 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 38
- 39
- 40
A/N: Thanks for all the
reviews. Hope this chapter
relieves some of the angst�or makes it worse, I don�t know. Glad you guys like the one-shot Envy as
well. Hope everyone had a great
weekend. Read and Review, it�s
magically delicious.

To Catch A Rat

I pray you learn to trust

Have faith in both of us

And keep room in your hearts
for two

Things get damaged

Things get broken

I thought we'd manage

But words left unspoken

Left us so brittle

There was so little left to
give

(Precious—Depeche Mode)

~*~

Luna Lovegood was diligently scribbling down notes in her
runes class when a burning sensation in her pocket caught her attention. Seeing that the Professor wasn�t paying
her any mind, anybody rarely did, she calmly put down her quill and reached
into the pocket of her robes.

�EEEEEP!!�

The Professor stopped and stared at her along with all of
her fellow classmates. She had
fallen off of her chair in her excitement.

�I�m okay!� she chirped as she picked herself off of the
floor. The Professor continued on
with the lecture and the students returned to sitting face forward. But Luna couldn�t pay attention
now. She had finally received the
long awaited message she had been waiting to get for so long.

A D.A. meeting tonight at nine.

Neville ran up to Ginny in the hall, a wide smile on his
face. �Did you get it? Did you get it?�

She looked up at him with concern on her face. �Nev, what on earth are you talking
about?�

He was grinning like a kid at Christmas when he pulled a
gold coin from his pocket. �D.A.
meeting.�

She stared at him.
�What? Are you sure? We should talk to Harry.�

�No need to,� Ron said, coming up to them. �It�s true. Spread the word for others to check their coins.�

Justin Finch-Fletchley was having a nice snooze in his
history of magic class when something hit him on the side of his head, waking
him up. He blinked rapidly to
adjust to the light and wiped the drool off of his face before finding the
culprit of his sleep disturbance resting on the parchment in front of him. He picked up the tightly folded piece
of paper.

Check Your Coin—Terry

He looked back at his friend with a question on his
face. �The D.A.,� Terry mouthed
back to him. Justin�s eyes widened
in surprise and excitement.

The day was like that for the members of Dumbledore�s Army,
a secret club of students who were taught Defense Against the Dark Arts by
Harry Potter during his fifth year at Hogwarts. The group had disbanded when they were ratted out by one of
their very own and caught by the High Inquisitorial Squad. They had been inactive since with only
a few using what they had learned when Death Eaters attacked the castle last
year. Although they still had the
coins, they were lost at the bottom of trunks and were dug out as soon as the
opportunity presented itself.

�Is it true Harry?� the Patil twins said when they came up
to him in the library. Harry had
called the meeting after a long night�s debate on whether he really wanted to
do this or not. But with Ron and
Hermione at his side, he could do this if there was enough interest. With new underclassmen there could be
new talent and renewed interest.
Especially after what happened last year.

Parvati stepped forward. �Is it true about the��

��you know, tonight?� Padma finished.

�See you there,� Harry whispered with a grin and walked past
them to go into the library.

Hermione was putting her books away, getting ready to leave
and check her traps.

�Hey,� he said softly as he walked up to her.

�Oh, hello Harry,� she replied.

�Did you uh�get my message? I wanted to tell you earlier today but I didn�t see you at
breakfast or lunch and I barely get to see you in between classes��

Hermione slowly set a book into her bag. �I�ve been a little busy Harry. The traps have cut into my study time
at night so I do it in between classes.�

�Oh.� He
believed her but he wondered if it was an excuse to avoid him. �Well, I wanted to tell you��

��about tonight,� she finished for him. �I know. Justin told me.�

He moved around the table to stand next to her. �I�d really like you to be there,� he
said softly. �I know that you�re
not too happy with our friends and that the two of us are still trying to
figure things out but�please come?�

She looked up at him.
Harry could see the familiar dusting of light freckles across her
nose. A pang of longing washed
over him. �I�ll try and finish
early,� she answered then shrugged her book bag on her shoulder. �But for now,� she said in a tone that
was considerably lighter, �you have a detention to get to.�

He sighed.
�That I do. That I do.�

~*~

Hermione sighed as she freed the little white mouse. �You again, huh?�

She was taking her time tonight, wasting it away so she
could keep her mind occupied and not thinking about the D.A. meeting that was
starting right about now. She
didn�t think she could handle being in the same room with people that she
thought were her friends, people that had so quickly turned their backs on
her. She felt so lost. This whole war screwed everything
up. She screwed everything
up. Draco screwed everything
up.

She tilted the cage.
�Out you go. See you
tomorrow night.� The little white
mouse skittered away into the bushes.

�You might want to try a different bait.� Hermione froze when she heard his
voice. �You�re not catching an
ordinary rat.�

She quickly gathered her things and stood to walk away. He reached out and grabbed her arm to
stop her.

�Let go of me, Draco,� she hissed, trying to shrug her arm
out of his grasp. He tightened the
hold slightly.

�Not until we talk,� he countered, moving them to a darker
shadow where they couldn�t easily be seen. Hermione made a sound of protest but Draco put a finger to
his lips. �Would you settle down? I don�t need to get into trouble just
for trying to talk to you and I don�t need Potty breathing down my back about
it either.�

�I said all I�ve wanted to say to you,� she hissed at him.

�Fine. Then
just listen!�

�You must be crazy if you think—�

�How many times do I have to apologize to you?�

She shook her head.
�I don�t know why you feel like
apologizing to me in the first place.
You never cared about me before and you don�t care for me now.�

�That�s not true.�

�I can�t listen to this,� she shook her head and tried to
walk away.

�I care about you,� he persisted.

�No you don�t or else you wouldn�t have done what you
did! Draco you drugged me!�

�I lowered your inhibitions. Made you act on feelings that were already there, they
didn�t just come out of nowhere.�

She whirled around to face him. �Feelings that were obviously a mistake. It doesn�t condone what you did to me!�

�I did what I did because I thought it was the only way I
could get you to act on those feelings.�

�We�ve already had this same conversation,� Hermione turned
and walked away but Draco jumped in front of her.

�I�m not noble like Potty is. I�m not popular like that Wellington git. I�m not famous like Krum. But I am rich and good looking (Hermione
scoffed) and a bit spoiled. I�m
not used to not getting what I want and—�

Hermione interrupted him. �Draco, you�re a Death Eater and a first class wanker so
piss off!�

�Hermione, wait!�

She spun around and slapped him hard across the cheek then
she drew her wand. Taking a page
out of Ron�s book, she shouted, �Eat slugs!� She left him there and hurried back to the castle, sounds of
him heaving filled the night air.
The encounter had put her in a foul mood and she didn�t bother setting
the last of the traps, she just went straight to bed.

~*~

Harry stared at the door of the Room of Requirement. Everyone was chatting amicably and excitedly
with each other as they sat in squashy armchairs and beanbags. It was already a quarter past nine.

She wasn�t coming.

Something sank in his stomach and just sat there weighing
him down. But he had to get this
meeting started.

He moved to the front of the room where Ron was sitting on a
table. �Right then. This meeting will be a short one just
to get things started again.
Welcome back to the D.A.�
There were some cheers and whoops of excitement at this
announcement. �We�re going to try
and figure out a schedule that meets everyone�s needs and�yes, Ernie?� He
nodded to the Head Boy whose hand shot in the air.

�What about recruiting new members?� he asked. �I think there are a few underclassmen
who would like to join.� The other
members nodded in agreement.

�We�ll talk about that as well,� Harry replied. �But first, Quidditch practice
schedules?�

�Gryffindor has the pitch Thursday,� Ron spoke first.

�Ravenclaw has tomorrow.�

�Hufflepuff has it on Tuesday.�

�What about Friday night?� Luna piped up.

Ernie shook his head.
�Hufflepuff is playing Slytherin Saturday.�

�Should we try for Saturday night, then?� Harry
suggested. �Pending of course that
the game doesn�t last that long?�

Everyone nodded and murmured in consent.

�As for new members�� Harry paused. �We have to be careful who we
invite. We don�t want what
happened last time to happen again.
This is far more dangerous than Umbridge finding out. Things have changed.�

�Can�t Hermione make up a new list like last time?� Terry
asked.

�I�ll, uh, ask her but in the meantime, how about each of us
is allowed to bring one and only one recruit? This will give you some time to really think about who you
want to bring in this circle, what this new person could contribute.�

Ginny nodded in agreement. �I think that�s a good idea.�

�I should have some sort of sign up sheet by then,� Harry
said. At least he hoped he
would. �Okay, that�s it. Meeting adjourned.�

He brought out the Map and checked that the coast was clear
before letting everyone out. While
he was at it, he checked on Hermione who was currently in her room. Harry sighed let out a heavy sigh.

�Maybe she got caught up with something or isn�t feeling
well,� Ron said quietly from behind him.

�I don�t think so Ron,� he replied, folding the piece of
parchment up. The two of them were
the last to leave and Harry nodded to Ron who was going to walk Luna back to
her common room.

There were some students still left in the Gryffindor common
room when Harry got there. Most of
them were studying, especially the fifth and seventh year students. Seamus and Dean sat with Parvati and
Lavender at a table. Harry walked
up to them.

�Hey, could one of you go upstairs and get Hermione?� he
asked the girls.

�The stairs are a bitch for the boys, huh?� Lavender
winked. �I�ll get her for you.�

�Thanks,� Harry muttered.

He only waited a few short minutes until Lavender
reappeared�alone. �She�s asleep
Harry.�

�Well, wake her up.
It�s important.�

�She�s taken a sleeping draught. I can�t wake her up.�

�What?� Harry said, surprised.

�Yeah, she had been having nightmares so Pomfrey have her
some to help her sleep. You�ll
have to catch her tomorrow Harry.
Sorry.� She shrugged and
went back to her study group.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face. The stupid, slimy, Slytherin Git. There was nothing more he could do tonight. He would have to try and corner her
tomorrow.

~*~

The sun hadn�t even peeked over the horizon when Harry
dragged himself out of bed and got ready for the day. He went downstairs and parked himself in front of the
fireplace, waiting for Hermione to come down. Surprisingly, he didn�t have to wait long.

�Harry!� she exclaimed, coming to a stop on the stairs. He stood up and walked over to her.

�Look, I�m not going to ask you why you didn�t come last
night,� he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Hermione shifted awkwardly. �But I need your help anyway. I was wondering if you could make a sign up sheet for the
D.A. again, like you did in fifth year.�

�Oh, okay. I
can do that,� she answered.
They stood there together in awkward silence before Hermione broke
it. �Since we�re being honest and
we don�t want anymore crap between us�Malfoy came up to me last night when I
was releasing the mice.�

A darkened look passed over Harry�s face and he stepped
closer to Hermione. �What did he
want?�

�He wanted to apologize�again. Told me that I was using the wrong kind of bait. I didn�t listen to him though,� she
added quickly. �I left him there
vomiting up slugs.�

Harry relaxed a little and let out a soft laugh.

�I just thought you should know,� Hermione said, looking up
at him.

�Hmm,� Harry said thoughtfully.

�What?� she asked.

�As much as this kills me to admit it, the ferret may be
right about the traps.�

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but stopped when she saw
the sight that walked in when the portrait door opened. �Crookshanks!� she gasped.

The half-kneazle walked into the common room with a black
snake dangling from its jaws.
Harry stared at it, stunned as it ran up to him and placed Isis at his
feet.

�Harry,� she hissed weakly. She was bleeding badly.

�Oh Crookshanks, what did you do?� Hermione moaned as Harry
knelt down to his pet.

�Crookshanks didn�t do this Hermione,� he said.

�Brown rat,� Isis hissed. �Sssilver�paw.�

�Pettigrew,� Harry muttered angrily.

Hermione took off her jumper and wrapped it carefully around
the snake. �We�ve got to take her
to Hagrid,� she said, gently lifting the snake.

Together they ran through the halls and out of the castle to
cross the lawn to Hagrid�s hut.
Harry pounded loudly on the door.
�Hagrid, it�s me, Harry!� he shouted.

He could hear fang barking inside along with the heavy
footsteps of the gentle half-giant.

�Harry, Hermione?
What�re yeh two doing here so early?� he asked when he opened the door.

�Hagrid, Isis is hurt,� Harry explained as Hermione held out
her bundle.

�Come in, come in,� he said, letting them pass. Hermione placed Isis gently on the
table and Hagrid carefully unwrapped the sweater.

�She was hunting for Pettigrew in the castle,� Harry
explained. �He attacked her.�

�Harry,� Isis hissed.
�Harry, there�sss—�

�Shh,� Harry hissed back. �Relax and let Hagrid take care of you. He�s a friend.�

�Tha�s a bad wound there, Harry. But it�s nothing I can�t take of,� Hagrid said as he
assessed the snake.

�Hermy?� came another scratchy and rough voice and Hermione
gasped and backed up into the wall behind her.

It suddenly occurred to Harry that there had been some
changes inside of Hagrid�s hut since it had been repaired after it was
destroyed last year. It was
magically expanded inside to fit a half-giant�and his brother.

Grawp came into the room and had immediately spotted
Hermione. Harry carefully placed
himself in front of her as a shield.
�Er�Grawp is here now?� he asked.

�Oh yeah,� Hagrid said as he walked to a cabinet that held
various jars and vials. He picked
one out that looked like an old perfume aspirator and sprayed it on Isis. �That�ll get her to sleep,� Hagrid
said. �He�s been staying with me
since the summer. McGonagall let
me keep him here since it�s not safe for him in the forest anymore.�

�Hermy pretty,� Grawp smiled at her. Hermione shrank further behind
Harry.

Hagrid chuckled.
�Still has a bit of a crush on you Hermione.� He turned back to his brother. �Yes, Hermy pretty.�
Grawp nodded in agreement then looked at Harry.

Harry wasn�t sure what to do. Grawp was looking expectantly at him. �Er, I think he wants yeh to agree,
Harry,� Hagrid whispered.

�Oh! Um, yes.
Hermy pretty. Hermy very
pretty,� Harry said to Grawp.

Grawp frowned then roared. Hermione let out a startled cry and Harry eyed the
exit.

�Oh!� Hagrid exclaimed. �Oh, I think he meant for you to say the opposite Harry.�

�What?� Harry exclaimed over the pouting giant who was near
to throwing a tantrum.

�I think he thinks you�re competition. Say the
opposite. Say Hermione is ugly.�

�Are you crazy?� Harry shouted. �I�m not going to say that!�

�Harry, for goodness sake, just say it!� Hermione nudged him
sharply in the back.

�Fine! Hermy
ugly, Grawp! Hermy ugly!�

The tantrum abruptly stopped and Grawp grinned widely,
showing is cracked and crooked teeth.

�Unbelievable,� Harry muttered under his breath.

Hagrid began to rub a foul smelling paste over Isis�
wounds. �There, that should help
some,� he declared as he let the snake rest.�

�Will she be okay?� Hermione asked from behind Harry.

�Just give her a few days and she�ll be just fine,� Hagrid
smiled. �Why don�t you two stay
for tea? It�s been so long since
yeh visited, Harry.�

Guilt washed over Harry. It had been awhile
since he saw his friend. He looked
back at Hermione who looked equally torn.

�Er, I�m sure a few moments wouldn�t hurt,� he said
nervously, praying Hermione wouldn�t skin him alive later.

�Good. I wanna
show yeh two what I�ve been working on with Grawp, here.� Hagrid smiled proudly. �Grawp, our guests would like some
tea.�

Grawp stomped over to the table and delicately pulled out a
chair. �Hermy.�

Harry looked at Hagrid nervously but the he didn�t seem to
be too nervous about his half-brother.
But Harry moved his hand near his wand just in case as Hermione bravely
stepped forward and climbed into the chair, her feet dangling as the giant slid
the chair to the table with surprising gentleness. Even Hermione seemed surprised and she relaxed a little
bit. Harry and Hagrid then took
their seats as Grawp set down a tray of saucers and a kettle. The cup that Grawp set before Hermione
was the size of a large soup pan while Hagrid�s and Grawps were the size of
buckets. Hagrid cleared his throat
to catch Grawp�s attention as he nodded toward Harry. Grawp frowned and hastily set down a cup and saucer in front
of him.

Next, Grawp took out a lace napkin and handed it to Hermione
who politely said �Thank You� and the giant beamed. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Very carefully, Grawp poured tea into
Hermione�s cup, not even spilling a drop.
He did the same to Hagrid�s cup and to his own but when it came to
filling Harry�s cup, it was roughly poured and some of it splashed onto his
robes. Next, Grawp held out a tray
to Hermione that had a selection of either some delicious looking scones or
things that looked like rocks.
Hermione picked out the scone while Hagrid picked out a rock. �I baked �em myself,� he said
proudly. Grawp took a scone and
when Harry reached for the same Grawp handed Harry a rock. Harry tapped the delicacy lightly on
the table and it thumped loudly.
Maybe if he soaked it in his tea it would soften up a bit?

�Oh, Hagrid, these are absolutely delicious,� Hermione said
after she bit into the scone.
�Wherever did you get these?�

Hagrid beamed and looked at Grawp. �Grawp made them.
Seems to have a hidden talent in the kitchen.�

Hermione turned to the giant. �Grawp you made these?�

Grawp looked at her with hopeful eyes. �Hermy like?�

�Hermy like very much,� she replied taking a big bite out of
the pastry.

It seemed like forever to Harry until they finished their
tea. Grawp monopolized Hermione�s
time by showing her his new talent of spelling out three letter words: D-O-G;
C-A-T. Harry did his best to be
supportive considering that the only look he got from Grawp was a scowl. But soon they had to join the other
students in the start of their classes, so with one final check on Isis, Harry
and Hermione left the hut.

�I do hope Isis will be okay,� Hermione worried.

�Me too,� Harry replied as he cleaned his robes with a flick
of his wand. �I think I broke a
tooth.� Hermione giggled and the
sound filled Harry with lightness in his step. �I�m serious, check my teeth, are they alright?� He said as
he stopped her and grinned widely.

�Hmm,� Hermione said with mock-seriousness as she stepped
toward him, her eyes narrowing in speculative thought. Harry�s hand automatically reached out
and touched her waist, resting on her hip. She shook her head, slowly. �No. Still ugly
as usual,� she laughed and moved away from him, losing the contact.

�I�m surprised,� he said. �Those rock cakes are brutal.�

�You should�ve tried the scone,� Hermione joked.

�Very funny.
Your boyfriend would�ve smashed me into the ground if I took one.�

�Oh stop it, Harry,� she grinned.

�I dunno Hermione, I think this one is a real keeper.�

�Well, he does make a great scone,� she said as she playfully
bumped his shoulder. They both trotted up the steps to the castle and Harry
opened the door for Hermione.

�Just invite me to the wedding,� he said as she passed.

�I�ll think about it,� she said, walking backwards. �See you later, Harry.� Then she turned
and made her way back to the common room while Harry made his way to the Great
Hall.

�Hey,� Ron greeted him when he sat down with the other
Gryffindors. �Where were you this
morning?�

�Isis got injured by a certain rat so I had to take her down
to Hagrid�s. I sat with him for
awhile.�

�She must be okay then?�

�Yeah, he said she�ll be fine with a few days rest,� Harry
said as he filled his plate with bacon and eggs.

�No wonder you�re grinning like a madman,� Ron said before
he stuffed his mouth with eggs.

�Am I?� Harry asked.
�Yeah, I suppose this day is turning out to be alright after all.�

~*~

�So we need to change the bait,� Harry said aloud.

The silence in the Room of Requirement was very�very
uncomfortable.

Hermione sat on one side of the table, Ron and Neville sat
on the opposite side. Neville
looked like he wanted to get out of the room while Ron hung his head like he
was a child in trouble. Hermione
sat back with her arms and legs crossed looking like she would rather be
anywhere else than here. Harry was
stuck playing referee.

�So says the Ferret,� Ron grumbled.

And there went the peace.

�You got the idea from Malfoy?� Neville asked Harry in
disbelief.

�I can�t believe you told them that, Harry,� Hermione
scolded.

�I can�t believe you�re still talking to that git!� Ron
shouted back.

�Hey, Ron, that�s not what happened,� Harry said, holding up
a hand to keep his friend at bay.

�I�m out of here, Harry,� Hermione declared and stood up
abruptly to march out of the room.

�Wait, wait, wait, Hermione, don�t go,� Harry said as he
went after her.

�Harry let her go,� Ron spoke up. �If she�s still chummy with the ferret we don�t want her to
be part of this.�

�Well, I do!� Harry shot back. �And what I say
goes.� The door Hermione was
marching to disappeared and she turned around to face Harry. �And that means that Hermione stays,�
he said firmly to the group. �Now,
Pettigrew snuck in here for a reason, either to spy on us, which we have no way
of finding out; or to retrieve the horcrux, which Voldemort knows we
have.�

�Maybe both, Harry,� Hermione said softly.

Ron exhaled sharply.
�So what do you suggest we do?�

�I say we give him the horcrux.�

There was a collective silence then a unanimous �WHAT??!!�

�Have you lost your mind?�

�That is the most stupid idea in the history of stupid
ideas.�

�What on Earth are you thinking?�

Harry held up a hand to silence his friends. �We give him the cup. Transfigure one to look like the
horcrux but when he touches it�WHAM! He�s trapped. Better bait, guys.�

�But how do we give him the cup. We can�t just put it back where it came from,� Hermione
said. �Voldemort knows we already
took it.�

�But he doesn�t know we destroyed it.�

There was another silence. �So what do we do?� Ron asked, finally.

�We�ll hide it somewhere in the castle. Hermione will set the trap and—�

�How will we get Peter to the bait?� Hermione interrupted
him.

�We tell him,� Harry chirped.

�We�tell him,� Neville repeated, crossing his arms.

�Yeah,� Harry shrugged. �The four of us, whispering amongst ourselves, talking about
it.�

�But, Harry,� Ron cut in. �Wouldn�t someone else overhear us?�

�They�ll hear us talking about a stupid cup,� he replied.

�And if Malfoy overhears?� Hermione cut in.

Harry looked at her.
�Then we have to be careful where we speak. We�ll talk amongst ourselves, whispering in dark corners
where no one else could hear. That
kind of thing. It�ll get to
Pettigrew eventually.�

�And then?� Ron asked.

�And then we catch him,� Harry answered. �We�ll work in pairs watching over the
trap using my invisibility cloak.
Hermione, you�re the best at transfiguration. Can you work on the cup?�

She looked at him for a long time, weighing his plan. �Of course,� she finally replied in a
sort and reluctant voice.

�Good,� he nodded.
�I�ll work on the trap.
We�ll let you guys know as soon as everything is set and ready.�

~*~

It didn�t take Hermione too long to figure out how to
transfigure an ordinary cup into one that resembled Hufflepuff�s cup. She came up to Harry the next evening
in the library.

�Hey,� she said quietly when she approached him.

Harry looked up from the book he was reading on collecting
magical creatures. �Hey Hermione,�
he replied, clearing a place for her at the table next to him. She didn�t sit down though.

�I just wanted to let you know that I figured out the
homework question you asked me about yesterday.�

�Oh, okay.� He
was impressed. �Thanks. Um, would you like to sit down?� He
offered, eyeing her usually heavy book bag.

�Actually, I promised Ernie and Susan that I would study
with them,� she said, gesturing over her shoulder at a table off to the side
where the Head Boy and Girl were settling into their seats. �I just wanted to let you know
about�you know.�

�Yeah,� he acknowledged. �Thanks again.�

She gave him a small and quick smile before turning around
to join the two others at their table.
He watched as she settled in and took out her books and parchment, ready
to delve into academic splendor.

He realized that he was staring and he shook his head,
clearing his thoughts. He
continued on with his book, flipping through the pages, looking for something
that would help him catch Pettigrew, a trap that would remain invisible and
undetected until the moment said creature in question would touch the
bait. And when he began to force
himself to pay attention to what he was reading, he packed up his things and
left the library to crawl into bed.

*

He checked in on Isis the next morning. She was still asleep but Hagrid said
she was healing wonderfully. He
made a quick exit though when Grawp appeared. Classes were uneventful and once again, after dinner, Harry
went to the library to do some more research. He wanted to ask Hagrid about it but his home was so full of
odd creatures that it would�ve been easy for Pettigrew to hide there
undetected.

He was sitting on his bed, testing one out when Ron came in
and sat on the bed. �What?� he
asked at the look on his friend�s face.

�How are you doing on the trap?� he asked.

�I think this one will work. If it does we can set it right away and start our lookout
tomorrow night,� Harry answered.

Ron tugged at a stray string on Harry�s comforter. �Do you think I could pair up with
Hermione for the first night?�

The question stunned Harry. Then it stunned him that he was even stunned in the first
place. He had planned on pairing
himself with Hermione and Ron with Neville. It didn�t even occur to him that Ron wanted to be with
Hermione, or that maybe Hermione didn�t want to be with him.

�Did, um, Hermione ask you?� he asked, fishing for
information.

�Just an idea,� Ron shrugged. �Maybe we can talk you know.�

Considering Ron�s personal trust issues with Hermione and
that feelings were very raw between them he had his doubts. �Are you sure that�s a good idea?� he
asked.

Ron looked at him.
�Are sure it�s a good idea that you want to be paired up with
Hermione?� Harry stopped what he
was doing and looked up at Ron who matched his gaze. �I�m just looking out for you mate. I know you�re still in love with her Harry.�

Harry returned his attentions to the trap. �If I get this ready by tomorrow, you
and Hermione have first watch.�

*

To say that she was pissed was an understatement. He could see the fury in her eyes when
he set the schedule for watching the trap. To her credit she didn�t say anything but he wondered if she
was swallowing blood from probably biting her tongue off in an effort to keep
quiet. Maybe Ron was right, maybe
he should back away from Hermione for a bit. Now that the trap was set, all they had to do was fulfill
the second half of their plan, whispering the location of the cup to each other
in dark corners and Harry immediately caught up with Hermione in the library,
cornering her in the end of an aisle.

�Hello Hermione,� he whispered to her. She was putting a book away and jumped
when he spoke.

�Harry!� she whispered back. �You startled me.�
He didn�t realize how close he had been standing to her. Old habits did die hard he
guessed.

�Sorry. I just
wanted to let you know that I checked the cup,� he said.

�The one in the passageway?� she asked.

�Yeah.�

�Okay.�

This should�ve been the end of the conversation but he
didn�t feel any pressure to turn away from her and she wasn�t walking away
either.

�How�s Isis?� she asked him.

�She�s fine.
Hagrid says she�s healing nicely.�

�That�s good.�

Both of them were torn between wanting to stay in each
other�s company and the awkwardness, the hurt and pain of their history.

�I�ll see you later, Harry,� Hermione finally spoke and she
walked away, her familiar and comforting vanilla and cinnamon scent
lingered. Harry let himself bask
in it for a moment, letting it fill him with angst as he leaned forward to rest
his forehead against the bookshelf.

Hermione left the library to for the common room to drop off
her books. When she came back
downstairs, Ron was waiting for her.
�Ready?� he asked and she nodded curtly.

*

They settled themselves across from the humped witch,
sitting down on the floor as Ron covered them both with the invisibility cloak.

�Silencio,� he said so they would not be heard outside of
the fabric. Hermione opened up the
Map and activated it. The two of
them took a minute to peruse the parchment.

�Nothing,� Ron declared after checking twice.

�We�ll check again in a half hour,� Hermione said as she
folded the map and put it away. It
was getting hot under the cloak so she cast a quick cooling charm. Conversation was tense and strained.

�I hope this works.� Ron exhaled.

�Me too,� she said softly.

More minutes ticked by and Hermione wished she brought along
a book or something. She took out
the map again and watched it to pass the time away. Harry wasn�t on the Map, probably in the Room of Requirement
since that�s where she saw him last heading.

�Is Harry still doing his auror training?� she asked.

�Yeah. I can�t
believe they did that to him,� Ron shook his head.

�I don�t know who�s worse, Fudge or Scrimgeour. They�re probably cut from the same
cloth. But Harry will be an auror
when he graduates. I know he
will.�

Ron frowned when he saw Neville and Ginny were in the
Astronomy tower. The corner of
Hermione�s mouth twitched in an effort to keep a laugh from bursting out. It was quickly doused though when she
inadvertently found Draco�s dot in the library with his usual group. She quickly lost interest in the map.

�I asked Harry to put us together so we could talk,� Ron
confessed.

�We�re supposed to be on lookout,� Hermione said coolly.

�Look, I�m sorry, okay?� he said with exasperation.

�I really don�t want to talk about his,� she shook her head.

�Hermione, I�m sorry about leaving you alone in London. I was just so mad at you and—�

�Dolohov attacked me Ron,� she said bitterly.

�I�m so sorry.
I�ll never forgive myself for that. I didn�t think anything would happen to you and I was so
angry.� Hermione didn�t answer
him. She just scoffed and looked
away. �Harry was so angry with me
and I was so angry with him for being mad and me and not at you. I don�t think he�ll ever forgive me
either but Hermione�you kissed Malfoy!
Course now we know that he had been giving you a potion��

�An Inhibitus potion,� she said softly, still not looking at
him.

�Yeah, I know.
Harry told me what it does.�

Silence fell over them again. An hour had passed with no sign of the rat. Students passed them on the way back to
their common rooms. Prefects began
their rounds. Harry had passed
them, pausing briefly by them before continuing on his way not saying a word to
give them away.

Another hour passed.
There was a tense moment when Mrs. Norris passed, stopping in front of
them and sniffing the air before continuing on her way with Filch following
close behind. The floor was
pressing into her and she put a cushioning charm underneath her and drew her
legs up closer to her as she rested her head on the wall and yawned.

Dawn came and Hermione nudged Ron awake who was snoring
loudly and drooling. She had
placed a silencing charm on him to quiet his snores and removed it when he
realized he was silent when he spoke.
They checked the map and saw that all was clear so they uncovered
themselves and checked the cup. It
was still there.

�Hermione,� Ron stopped her just before they walked into the
common room. �I really am
sorry.� Hermione didn�t say
anything, she just moved forward.

Harry was waiting for them when they walked in. Her breath was momentarily taken away
by the sight of him standing in front of the fireplace. He seemed taller, broader, more handsome. His face seemed to have matured,
growing into a young man with handsome features, the strong jaw line, the lips
that she had been so familiar with.
He had an aura of mystery, of brooding darkness. She cursed herself for still allowing
Harry to have this effect on her.

�Anything?� he asked the two of them. Hermione had momentarily lost her
ability to speak but Ron spoke up instead.

�Nothing tonight.�

He sighed.
�Right. Well, Nev and I
have the next watch, maybe we�ll have better luck. Keep talking though.�

The two of them nodded and Hermione made her way up to the
rooms. Ron stood there in front of
Harry, toeing a snag in the rug with the tip of his shoe. He could sense Harry�s gaze on him and
before he could allow Harry to ask about Hermione he spoke up.

�I told her I was sorry.�

~*~

Nothing happened the next night with Harry and Neville�s
watch. And a sense of anticipation
and dread filled Harry when he realized that the next watch was his and
Hermione�s. He couldn�t really
concentrate on anything and as soon as the evening meal ended he went to the
dungeons to meet Professor Smith.

The room was cleared except for a pile of boxes on one side
of the room. �Tonight you will
move those boxes to the other side of the room. No magic, the muggle way please.�

Harry and Draco grumbled as they walked over to the boxes
and each picked on up. Or at least
attempted to pick them up. They
were very heavy. They pushed at
them, tugged, tried to lift. The
two of them looked at each other.

�Oh, I should mention that you�re not allowed to leave until
all the boxes are done. And that
maybe you should work together to make it easier.�

�Fuck that!� Draco protested.

�You get to stay later for that comment Mr. Malfoy,� the
Professor smiled at him. �Have it
your way you two.�

The two of them looked at each other grudgingly. �Let�s just get this over with,� Harry
muttered as the two of them lifted a box.

*

Arms sore, legs sore, body sore, Harry made his way to the
Room of Requirement to take a long soak in the tub. He sighed in relief when his body sank into the warm tub,
the water easing out all his aches and pains. He washed himself then just sat there floating in the water,
letting his mind carefully wander as he thought about tonight�s watch.

�Hermione, Hermione, Hermione,� he sighed.

�You called?�

Harry�s eyes shot open to find Hermione sitting on the other
side of the tub. He groaned. �Oh no, not you again.� He silently cursed the Room.

�You asked for me,� Pseudo-Hermione said as she moved closer
to him. Harry moved away from her
but this Hermione that he conjured was a lot more aggressive. Her hands tangled in his hair as she
lowered her lips to his in a kiss.
Merlin, she even tasted like Hermione.

�Because that�s how you remember her,� Pseudo-Hermione
whispered when she broke this kiss.

�Um, Hermione,� it felt so weird to call her that. �What are you��

�Just relax, Harry and give in.� She moved over him,
straddling him. Harry�s hands were fisted and deliberately floating at a safe
distance at his side to keep the temptation of touching her at bay.

�But�� She
kissed him again, silencing him.
His body betrayed him and began to respond to her. He felt his hardness brush against the
curls at the apex of her thighs. Oh,
I�m so pathetic, he thought, I�m
going to have sex with some sort of manifestation of my ex-girlfriend. His
fists loosened and he let his hands rest on her waist.

�Hello?� A voice called out. �Harry?�

Shit!

Pseudo-Hermione vanished as the steam lifted in the
room. Harry turned around and
grabbed his glasses as Hermione stepped forward.

�Oh!� she exclaimed when she found him in the tub. The water glistened and beaded on his
chest. She watched as some of them
dripped down, down to�.She shook her head. Harry looked just as startled as she did. She knew she was blushing and she
hastily turned around, the image of a wet Harry burned in her mind.

�Erm, I was�looking for you because�we were supposed to��

�I�m running a little late and I�um�� He was just as awkward
as she was.

�I�ll just,� she gestured to the door.

�Yeah,� he nodded, �I�ll be�I�m done.�

Clean, dressed and thoroughly embarrassed, Harry emerged
from the Room a few minutes later.
Hermione was deep in though, leaning against the wall as he approached
her.

�Do you—�

�Yeah, I have everything,� she answered.

�Okay,� he nodded.
She took out the invisibility cloak and threw it over the two of
them. They had to scoot in close
to each other, they weren�t eleven year olds anymore.

�Um,� Harry said Hermione brushed up against him. He was hyper aware of her every touch
as was Hermione. She was blushing
furiously. He smelled so wonderful
and clean and the image of him in the tub just wouldn�t stay buried.

They hurried together, awkward at first because every
movement gave them contact with each other. They soon had to resign to that fact as they continued on their
way. As they moved down to the
third floor, a large group of Ravenclaw third year girls came their way, taking
up nearly the entire corridor.
Harry steered them to a corner out of their way, pressing Hermione
against the wall. Hermione kept
her hands at her side as Harry placed his against the wall on either side of
her. Touching was inevitable, he
could feel her familiar curves pressed against him. Hermione didn�t dare move her head, she just stared straight
ahead at his Adam�s apple. The
hair on the top of her head tickled his chin and he willed himself not to look
down at her.

The girls took forever to pass it seemed. Harry moved away from her and the two
of them continued on their way in silence. They sat down in the lookout spot, squatting on the
floor. Their hands brushed as they
made themselves as comfortable as thy could be and they instantly jerked away
their hands as if they had been burned.
Harry and Hermione squeezed themselves into opposite corners.

It was going to be a very, very long night.

*

Hermione stirred and snuggled further into his warm
embrace. She felt so safe and
warm. His arms were wrapped around
her and he stirred as well when she had moved. She felt so good in his arms and he breathed in her familiar
scent. She nuzzled him in the
crook of his neck.

�Mmm, Harry,� she murmured. He smiled.

Their eyes shot open.

Hermione and Harry sprang apart, flinging the Inivisibility
cloak off of them and darting out of their hiding spot. At some point during the night, they
had ended up in each other�s arms.
Hermione was bright red and he could feel the heat coming off of his own
face. They couldn�t speak, the
ability somehow had escaped them until he shook his head, clearing his startled
thoughts.

There was a sound of surprise next to them. Harry and Hermione whirled around to
see Peter Pettigrew staring back at them.

�Stupefy!� he cried out, aiming his wand at them.

Harry grabbed Hermione and yanked her to the floor, covering
her with his own body as he drew his wand at Pettigrew. �Stupefy!!� Peter had no time to transform himself back into the rat and
he fell to the floor with a brutal thud.

Hermione released the breath she had been holding as she
stared at Peter�s fallen form. She
looked up at Harry who was looking at Peter then down at her.

�Are you alright?� he asked her. She nodded. He
moved himself so he sat back on his heels, allowing Hermione to sit up. She had been straddling him, her thighs
brushed against his as she bent her knees and scooted herself backward, away
from him. A look flickered across
his eyes, a familiar one that sent Hermione�s heart racing.

But it had to be put aside.

Harry offered his hand to help her up. �We�ll tie him up and take him to the
Room of Requirement. Stay with him,
I�ll get the Order.�

~*~

Coming Up:

Peter spills

Lucius kills

The Order rushes to save lives as

Draco takes sides

Isis will hiss

Harry and Hermione�
- 38
- 39
- 40
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