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It's About Time	By : Koukla22 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Sirius/Hermione Views: 16045 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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
- 4
- 5
- 6
A/N: Once again, the italics are Hermione�s memories.

Chapter 5.

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It was James rather than Sirius who ended up carrying Hermione�s books down to breakfast in the Great Hall the following morning. He had woken early again to meet her in the common room, questioning her about the state of her elbow the entire way.

�It�s a simple sprain,� Hermione had responded slowly to ensure he grasped the concept, �I assure you, I�m perfectly healthy.� She waited until he turned his head away, apparently satisfied with that response, before she rolled her eyes at his determined questioning, a smile tracing its way across her face. As much as her independent side didn�t want to admit it, his rapt attention excited her.

They all now found themselves in History of Magic� Hermione was eagerly taking notes, which was proving to be difficult as she was forced to write with the wrong hand, while James and Sirius were leaning across their desks whispering to one another, no doubt plotting their next adventure, blissfully unaware of anything Professor Binns was saying.

Peter�s eyes had long since glazed over, his head resting on one hand, he appeared to be drooling onto his parchment, even Remus, the model student, looked as if he were day-dreaming as he was staring out the window at nothing in particular.

�Moony! Psst� Moony! Wormtail!� James whispered rather loudly, leaning across Hermione towards Remus and Peter.

�James, you are practically laying across the desk,� Hermione growled through gritted teeth, trying with great difficulty to suppress her pleasure at his suddenly intimate proximity.

He grinned at her, leaning further over the table to talk to the other two boys. Heavens, he smelled good! Whatever it was he had told them had caused Peter to break into a fit of high pitched giggles while Remus smirked and shook his head, leading Hermione to believe they were planning something she wanted absolutely no part in� The responsible part of her could not comprehend how James had ever been named Head Boy.

Every other part of her, however, believed no one else was even close to deserving the title.

Her thoughts lingered on him as she began surveying his broad shoulders, her eyes trailed down his arms, even through his robes she could see where his muscles were flexed as he leaned on his arms upon the desk, her eyes dropped lower still and settled on his hands� they looked strong and firm, not too soft yet not too coarse, perfect for Quidditch or building things or touching� her� in places no one else had ever-

�The Goblin Rebellion of 1612 began when�� the voice of Professor Binns startled her out of her trance.

Abruptly, Hermione realized she had been staring at him, her face began to feel very hot, she had no idea for how long she�d been staring but her brain urged her to look away� look anywhere else, just not at James.

She quickly craned her neck to look over James� back, as he was still speaking to Remus, and focused her attention back to the ever-oblivious Professor Binns. She nervously wondered if anyone had caught her staring so blatantly at James. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone looking at her� turning her head she realized it was Lily, those green eyes were unmistakable. Hermione offered a smile but for the first time, Lily failed to return the gesture. Her intense gaze shifted just past Hermione and straight at the back of James� head, she looked crestfallen.

When the bell rang signaling the end of class, Lily gathered up her things and with her head down, exited the room quickly. Hermione sat for a moment to collect her thoughts. Was Lily jealous� of her? True, James had been paying her more attention the past couple of days, Hermione smiled to herself at this thought, but she was positive it was only because she was injured� although, he had said that he had been waiting for her in the common room the previous morning� maybe he was teasing, she rationalized. The thought of Lily Evans being jealous of Hermione Granger was just laughable.

�Look Granger, James is already carrying your books for you, do you really expect him to cart you around as well?�

She looked up to see Sirius beside her, the trademark sparkle in his eyes, and just past him she saw James waiting in the doorway.

�We�ll be late for Potions if you don�t get a move on.� James said with a playful grin.
Hermione saw that James had gathered her books for her already. Smiling, she jumped up and followed him out of the classroom, Sirius walking behind her.

Just before they entered the Potions classroom, Sirius held Hermione back.

�Any idea what�s got Evans� goat today?� He asked her, though the meaningful glint in his eye told her he knew exactly what Lily was upset about.

Hermione looked down at her feet and shook her head. �I don�t know, Sirius,� she answered in what she hoped was an innocent voice. Avoiding his eye contact, she ducked into the classroom.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Harry, Ron and Ginny were eating a late breakfast in Ginny�s private room at Hogwarts. Their trip the day before had worn them all out and caused them to sleep in much later than usual.

Harry had already explained to Ron exactly what had happened in the common room the day before, all about the unusual memories he was having about what had taken place at Bill and Fleur�s wedding. For obvious reasons, he�d hesitated to tell Ginny about it but he thought, and Ron had agreed, that if she truly wanted to help them, then she really ought to know everything.

�Er� Gin� um� Ginny?� Off to a great start already, he thought sarcastically to himself.
She glanced up from the slice of toast she was buttering, acknowledging that she�d heard him.

With a furtive glance to Ron, who nodded encouragingly, he spoke again.

�You� you remember your brother�s wedding� in the summer?�

Ginny stopped buttering her toast and gave Harry a reproachful look conveying that she understood precisely what he was getting at.

�Of course, I remember, Harry.� She answered curtly.

�Right. Of course.� Harry felt himself flush� the collar of his shirt felt as though it was choking him. He cleared his throat and pushed on. �So, you remember when you� er� I mean� Hermione and I, we were� umm��

�For goodness sake, Harry! Grow up.� Ginny spat at him. �I interrupted you snogging Hermione. Right. What of it?�

Ron looked at Harry apologetically but didn�t offer any help� this was one conversation he did not want to get involved in.

Harry looked at her and saw that through her cold glare she was fighting back tears. He moved to sit beside her on the love seat and she turned her face away.

�Gin?� He touched a hand to her face. She jerked away from him as tears spilled silently onto her cheeks, �Merlin, Ginny� please don�t cry.�

Ron stood, looking spectacularly uncomfortable, and jerked his head towards the door, indicating to Harry that he was going to give them some space. Harry nodded at him and turned back to the beautiful girl sitting beside him.

�I�ve told you before, Ginny, that it was a mistake� I missed you so much that I-�

She shook his hand off and pushed it away. �That you ran off to snog your best friend?� She shot back in a falsely strong voice. Harry opened his mouth to explain himself again but was cut off once more by her soft, yet firm, voice. �Don�t, Harry� just stop��

He did as he was told. Ginny had closed her eyes and was taking long, controlled breaths as if trying to calm herself, although her fists remained clenched in her lap. After what seemed to Harry like an eternity, she opened her eyes and looked at him. The emotion that had been burning behind her eyes was gone� in its place, a cold indifference that he found rather alarming. He would have gladly endured her screaming at him if he never had to see this look in her eyes again.

�I don�t understand what that night has to do with anything,� Ginny began, speaking very slowly so he wouldn�t miss a single word, �But as you�ve decided to bring it up, I can only assume that you think you have a good reason for it.�

�Gin-�

�No, Harry. My turn,� She hissed at him. �You must be aware of the fact that this particular� affair, isn�t a topic that is particularly endeared to me. Nor would it escape you that I would choose not to have it discussed in front of my brother.�

�You�re right, Ginny,� Harry spoke quickly so she wouldn�t cut him off again. But before he could explain further, she�d begun again.

�And since you have displayed such little tact and next to no respect for my feelings regarding said affair, I can once again, assume that you gave it very little thought before bringing it up to me over breakfast.�

Harry was really beginning to dislike the way in which she emphasized the word �affair��and he got the distinct impression that she�d rehearsed that particular speech before.

He held his breath, waiting for her to continue, but she said no more. Her eyes remained cold and fixed on Harry.

Clearing his throat, he began tentatively, waiting for her to cut him off again.

�Ginny, that night isn�t something I enjoy thinking about either. I�ve gone so far as to consider �Obliviating� the memory of that night� but I wouldn�t want to because then I would forget how beautiful you looked out on that dance floor. I haven�t seen you really laugh since that night.�

For the briefest moment, Harry thought he saw her icy exterior falter. But in an instant, it was back again.

�That is all very interesting, Harry. But would I be correct in assuming there is a point to all of this?�

Harry felt slightly disheartened that she hadn�t responded any less indifferently. Perhaps, just getting to the objective would be best, he thought dejectedly. �The point is that I avoid thinking about what happened at the wedding� just like you. But last night, I did think about it.�

Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. �So much thinking, Potter� I hope you didn�t strain yourself,� she said sarcastically.

�Well� I did think about that night.� He continued, ignoring her snide remark. �But it was sort of felt like someone was using �Legilimens� on me� the memory played out in my head against my will almost. And part of it, I could see from� er� from Hermione�s perspective.�

If Harry thought that Ginny�s gaze couldn�t be any colder, he was wrong. If looks could kill, he would�ve been stone dead in that instant. Terrified of what she might say if given the opportunity, Harry continued hurriedly.

�I think, and Ron agrees with me, that there is a connection between the vision I had of Hermione being here, at Hogwarts, and the memory I had yesterday. We just don�t know what it means.�

And then Ginny broke. The detached fa�ade she had been trying so hard to maintain crumbled before Harry�s eyes.

In one fluid motion, she rose from the couch and was at the door. She paused and turned to face him, tears once again streaming down her face. �Harry� don�t you know how rare connections like that are? It means� that you love her.�

In an instant, Ginny had gone from the room. Harry sat there alone and dumbfounded, having absolutely no idea what he�d said wrong.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

After the comment Sirius had made outside Potions that morning, Hermione had paid closer attention to Lily�s behavior� and to be completely honest, he was right. Something certainly had �got Evans� goat�, to put it crudely.

The normally exuberant Lily Evans had been noticeably quiet all day. She had even moved from her usual seat at the very front of the Potions classroom to one near the back, much to the bewilderment of her usual Potions partner, best friend and fellow seventh year Gryffindor, Alice Bruneau, whom Hermione had concluded would one day be the mother of her friend, Neville Longbottom. Even Professor Slughorn�s praise of Lily�s Calming Draught didn�t elicit more than a forced smile from her.

Herbology wasn�t any different. Lily kept mostly to herself, speaking only to Alice and Professor Sprout when necessary. Hermione caught Lily�s eye over her Fanged Geranium plant and was surprised to see sadness reflected back at her.

�Lily, umm� are you��

�I�m fine, Hermione.� Lily responded automatically. She had clearly been asked the same question many times today. Remembering her manners, she added, �Thank you for asking.�

James chose that moment to rush over and ask Hermione if she had any idea how to remove Bubotuber Pus from the skin. When asked why, he responded quickly with, �No reason!� but the pained look on Peter�s face across the room, betrayed his nonchalance. Hermione couldn�t help but laugh, James looked so cute when he was worried. She began explaining to him that it was very simple to mix a Boil-Curing Potion, when they were interrupted by the sound of someone crying out in pain.

Lily had been watching the two of them so intently that she hadn�t been paying any attention to her Fanged Geranium and it had bitten her� hard. She gripped her hand tightly, her face scrunched up. James looked concerned and began to walk towards her when Professor Sprout scrambled over, reaching out to inspect Lily�s hand.

�This doesn�t look too serious, dear. Would you like to visit the hospital wing?�

�No, thank you Professor,� Lily answered quietly. She blushed furiously, obviously more concerned with the embarrassment at having been so careless while eavesdropping on James and Hermione, than the pain.

James, seeing that she was okay, looked at Lily with an amused expression, �You didn�t lose any fingers, did you Evans?�

Lily glowered at him, �Sod off, Potter!� Then, tossing her great mane of shiny red hair over her shoulder, she stalked off toward the other end of the greenhouse.

After class, Hermione sank exhaustedly into a seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. This was one of the longest days in recent memory, she thought, and it was only lunchtime. She had settled herself a good distance away from everyone else, hoping for a bit of solitude. Resting her forehead on her arms and closing her eyes, Hermione thought about James and his recent �interest� in her. She still knew how dangerous it was for her to harbor these feelings for him, but no one needed to know� and if no one found out, there was no harm done� or so she liked to tell herself.

As though they had sensed her desire to be alone� and completely ignored it, the four Marauders descended upon the table, surrounding her just as the large platters of food appeared between them. Not a word was spoken as the boys hastily began filling their plates. Hermione caught James� eye as he shoveled an overly large bite of steak and kidney pie into his mouth.

�Wha?� he asked with his mouth stuffed, reminding her instantly of Ron who always spoke with his mouth full.

A sentimental expression passed over her face. James managed to swallow his massive mouthful of food and leaned towards her concernedly.

�Is everything alright?�

Hermione didn�t get the chance to answer, however, because Peter chose that moment to lean across the table towards them to get James� attention. He had a mirthful smirk upon his face as he leaned his small, pudgy body even closer to them.

�Prongsy! Look who just walked in!� Peter teased in a sing-song voice as he gestured towards a figure moving quickly past them down the table.

It was Lily. Without even a glance in their direction, she was heading as far away from them as she possibly could while still sitting with the Gryffindors, settling beside Alice and her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom. James straightened, as he had still been leaning towards Hermione, and craned his neck to get a better look at Lily.

Peter was still giggling though he was the only one, but he stopped when he realized no one else had found this even remotely amusing. Remus and Sirius had stopped mid-bite, Sirius� fork still halfway to his mouth as they both regarded James� reaction. He looked dismayed that he hadn�t received so much as a glance from Lily and turned back to his food looking rather sullen. Sirius could see that Lily was clearly making a conscious effort not to look at James and that Hermione was blushing slightly and looking down at her lap� she even looked a bit� guilty, he thought.

Remus leaned over to James and quietly asked, �Did you two have another row, Prongs? Or is she still angry at you from Herbology?�

James quickly covered up his gloomy expression and smiled up at Remus. �Like I know what goes through that woman�s head!� He forced a laugh. But neither Remus nor Sirius were fooled� because they could see that despite James nonchalance, he kept stealing glances down the table to see if Lily was looking at him.

In an overly casual manner, James turned to Hermione who had not said a word since they�d sat down for dinner. With a valiant grin, he leaned into her a little closer than was necessary and said, �What�s got your tongue, Miss Granger?� And he winked.

Hermione couldn�t help but laugh at his shameless flirtation as the guilt that was plaguing her and all worries of Lily fluttered out of her mind.

Sirius did not miss this exchange. He watched James curiously, looking to Remus who was also watching with interest. Peter, who did not seem to have a clue what was going on, simply decided to continue with his dinner. But far down at the other end of the table, James� laugh, smile and wink did not go unnoticed. The Head Girl grabbed her books and left the Great Hall without a word or so much as touching her lunch.

The guilt that had dissipated at the mere suggestion of James� affection, flooded back when she saw Lily stalk out of the room and Hermione suddenly felt ill. She could feel Sirius� curious gaze upon her and she knew her remorseful air had not gone unnoticed. She pushed her plate away as she too stood up to leave. Mumbling something about, �the library,� she hurried away ignoring their inquisitive stares.

Walking blindly through the halls of the castle, Hermione was completely immersed in her thoughts. She could navigate through Hogwarts blindfolded though, she knew it so well. She looked up to notice that she was in a familiar corridor� Edging further down the hallway she spotted a recognizable tapestry. Hermione slowly pulled it away from the wall to reveal the hidden corridor that she, Harry and Ron had often used to take shortcuts through the castle unnoticed.

With a vigilant glance up and down the hallway to be sure no one saw her, Hermione entered the passage and let the tapestry fall closed behind her. Once inside, she took a deep breath, enjoying the long awaited privacy. Of course, there wasn�t anywhere in the castle she could go to hide from the Marauders with their trusty map but this would have to do.

She lit the end of her wand and she was suddenly absorbed in the memory of the last time she had entered this passageway.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Ginny bolted from the room. She didn�t know where she was going but she knew she needed to get as far away from Harry Potter as she possibly could. Forcefully holding back her sobs, she ran down the corridor, not stopping even when she heard her name being called behind her.

There were footsteps growing rapidly closer and she sped up� she did not want to speak to anyone. A hand clamped over her shoulder forcing her to stop and she turned around looking up into Ron�s concerned face. The sight of her brother at that moment was all she needed to burst into another round of tears as she clung to him and buried her face in his chest.

�He loves her, Ron� he loves her.� Ginny choked out through her tears.

Ron could barely make out what she was saying as her face was pressed into his robes and she was crying very hard. This was not Ron�s area of expertise� he�d never had a knack for tactfulness and found himself rather at a loss for words but as Ginny so rarely cried, he knew it was serious.

Searching desperately for something to comfort his baby sister, he said, �Who loves who?�

�Him! Harry� he� he loves Hermione!� Ginny cried as she gripped his robes tighter in her fists.

Ron couldn�t stifle his laughter. �Don�t be daft, Ginny!� he said, �Everyone knows that Harry fancies you!�

�Don�t patronize me, Ron! I�m not some silly child,� Ginny said angrily, letting go of him as she turned on her heel and stalked down the corridor.

Ron turned to look at Harry who had been hovering a few feet behind him. �I�ll talk to her, mate,� he said with an encouraging smile to which Harry only shrugged helplessly.

A few minutes later, he finally caught up with his sister a few corridors away. �Ginny, wait up, would you?� Ron called to her.

She merely called over her shoulder, �I just want to be alone, Ron.�

But Ginny paused in front of a familiar tapestry� she knew it concealed one of many passageways within the walls of Hogwarts as she had used it often after Harry and Ron had discovered it on the Marauder�s Map during her second year. Without another thought, she lifted the edge of the fabric and disappeared behind it into the semi-darkness.

�Bad luck then� because I�m not leaving you alone until you listen to reason.� Ron shot back, ducking behind the tapestry as well.

It was dark in the narrow veiled corridor and he almost ran full on into Ginny but managed to catch himself on the wall before he could completely lose his balance. She had stopped short and was staring directly in front of her, transfixed.

Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, �Lumos,� under his breath and a misty light was cast upon the walls. Looking around, he got a strange feeling cast over him.

Ginny looked up at him, eyes wide and in a soft voice said, �Ron�?� He knew that she was experiencing the same odd sensation, both being taken over by their memories of months before� the last time they had ended up in this hidden corridor.

It had been near midnight, Ginny and Harry were in the common room working on some strategies for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. Although, Ginny was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate as Harry had placed his hand on her knee and was rubbing his thumb back and forth over the fabric of her robes.

She giggled and grabbed his hand with her own. �If you keep up with that, we�re not going to get anything done, Harry!� She said laughing.

Harry raised his eyebrows at her words indicating that he could think of a few things they could �get done�.

She blushed and shook her head at him. �You are incorrigible.�

�Well, you�re right about one thing. We aren�t going to get anything more done here,� Harry said, nodding at the parchments spread across the table, �Let�s go for a walk.�

�A walk?! It�s midnight, Harry! We�ll get into trouble.�

�By whom? Ron and Hermione? They�re they prefects on duty tonight� let�s go.� He insisted as he pulled her out of her chair.

She couldn�t say no� it made her so completely happy to be with Harry that she never wanted to pass up the opportunity to spend time with him. After all, they had only been dating for a couple of weeks, these moments alone were few and far between.

She allowed him to drag her out of the portrait hole and through a maze of hallways.

Ron and Hermione were quietly patrolling the sixth floor corridors as Ron emitted a loud yawn and looked at his watch.

�C�mon Hermione! It�s late�everyone is in bed. Can�t we go back?� Ron begged

�No, Ronald. We are on duty until midnight, exactly. That gives us ten minutes, before we can go back.� Hermione said with an exasperated tone.

They continued to wander aimlessly for another few moments. The silence was only marred by Ron�s faint humming� a tune that sounded suspiciously like, �Weasley is Our King�, Hermione thought with a smile.
Finally, after running nearly the length of the castle, or so it seemed to Ginny, Harry stopped and wrapped his arms around her waist. He beamed down at her before lifting her off her feet bringing her face just inches from his own.

�You have made me so happy, Ginny,� Harry whispered, nuzzling his face into her neck.

Before Ginny could respond, he captured her mouth in a heated kiss. She kissed him back eagerly, letting him know without words how very happy he made her, as well.

She felt Harry moving backward, carrying her with him, as a heavy drape flapped behind her, they were immediately enveloped in velvety darkness and their passionate kiss grew deeper still. Ginny vaguely felt her feet touch the floor again but she remained clinging to him� never wanting this moment to end.

Ron was right� this did seem to be rather pointless. But Dumbledore had been very explicit in his instructions that he�d wanted additional patrol hours from the prefects to increase security and she certainly was not one to argue with the Headmaster.

When it was two minutes until midnight, Hermione spoke again, �Ok, I think we�re alright to head up to the tower now.�

As tired as he was, Ron gave off a triumphant cheer and sped up turning down another hallway. He pointed towards a point on the wall not far off and Hermione knew he was indicating the passageway that would provide a shortcut back towards the Gryffindor tower.

Their passionate fervor eased into leisurely, indulgent kisses� stopping every few moments to softly whisper shy words of affection and adoration. Harry�s hands wandered freely from Ginny�s face down her neck and ever so slowly inched down the front of her robes. She involuntarily sighed at the intimacy and tenderness of his touch. His hands lingered timidly and gradually slipped into the front of her robe to allow him better access to her body.

Ginny could feel his hands shaking slightly as they caressed the sensitive skin around her bra, it tickled her soft skin and she smiled to herself in the darkness. He felt incredible. With one strong arm holding her steady around her waist, he kissed her again, removing his other hand from her chest slowly and burying it in her long, silky hair cushioning her head as he pushed her back lightly against the stone wall. He ended the kiss and ran his thumb back and forth over her cheek, his eyes taking in every bit of her face that he could make out in the nearly pitch black space. Tilting his head slightly to touch his forehead to hers, they stood together enjoying the bewitching stillness.
They reached the entrance to the hidden corridor and Ron threw the tapestry back, holding it open for Hermione. She walked in but stopped so abruptly that Ron collided with her back.

�Hey, what gives?� he asked, after being nearly knocked into the wall.

The tapestry was still hanging open just enough to allow a sliver of light to illuminate the passageway. And there in the half-light, were Harry and Ginny in, what appeared to be, a thoroughly intimate embrace.

They pulled apart at once. Their friends had seen them kiss before, of course, but to catch them here in the middle of the night was somewhat more incriminating. Both Harry and Ginny looked to Ron� the last time he�d caught Ginny in a corridor with a boy he�d been furious� but now he simply looked annoyed though the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly indicating that he was trying to hide a smile.

Hermione, on the other hand, didn�t appear angry or annoyed. In fact, to Ginny�s awe, she looked completely devastated.

Hermione felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach. She knew she�d walk in on a scene like this sooner or later, Hogwarts was only so big and they were her friends� it was only a matter of time. But the reality was so much worse than she had imagined it to be. It� hurt� there was no other word for it. Before they had broken apart from one another, they had looked so perfectly serene, and complete.

�Hermione?� Ginny asked softly, interrupting her thoughts.

She had to snap out of it� allowing her friends to see her upset would only lead to questions that she really didn�t want to answer. She quickly submerged her heartache with the only thing she could think of� anger.

�What are you two doing out of bed?!� She scolded them. �I should deduct house points for this!�

Ginny was shocked� she couldn�t comprehend what could possibly have been going on in Hermione�s head at that moment. Hermione looked furious but on the verge of tears, as well.

�Aww, c�mon Hermione. Give them a break. If anyone should be angry, it�s me,� Ron said throwing an arm around her, finally letting his smile break across his face. �And I think it�s bloody hilarious.�

Harry let out the breath he�d been holding and allowed himself to crack a smile too.

Hermione looked at the floor� �I�m not angry� I�m broken,� she thought sadly as she looked back up at Harry.

The penetrating stare which Hermione had focused on Harry, was very unsettling to Ginny. If she was going to be upset, it should be at both of them� but Hermione was clearly focused on Harry alone.

Ginny reached out for his hand� he was staring uncertainly back at Hermione and started slightly when he felt Ginny�s touch.

Hermione fixed her gaze upon their joined hands and sighed. �Very well. Why don�t you both run along, then,� she replied barely above a whisper.

She watched as Harry slipped his arm around Ginny�s shoulders and led her further into the passageway back towards the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. As they disappeared into the darkness, Ron nudged her.

�We�re well off duty now, aren�t we? Let�s go back too,� he said already moving towards the other end of the passage.

Hermione felt empty� she wanted to sink to floor and let herself be consumed by the darkness. But she wouldn�t�she would be strong. Hoping despite herself, that one day, Harry might change his mind. Her sensibilities told her otherwise, but she had to have something to hold on to. With that thought and the image of Harry and Ginny emblazoned in her mind, she turned to follow Ron.

Ginny and Ron looked at one another� astonished. Neither one knew what to say exactly. They both just stood there, faint shadows cast upon their faces from the light of Ron�s wand.

�That�s what happened to Harry� right?� Ginny asked him, trying to make sense of what had happened.

�Yeah, I think so,� Ron said, �I felt her. I felt, what she felt, you know?�

�Yeah. Me too.� Then comprehension came over her in an instant and she added, �It was her then� not Harry.�

�What about her?� Ron questioned with a furrowed brow.

�He doesn�t love her� She loves him.� She looked anxiously at her brother.

Ron looked more confused than ever. Could Hermione have loved Harry? He knew that he wasn�t very good at deciphering girls� feelings but surely he would have noticed if his best friend was in love with his other best friend! But he knew what he had felt just now� Hermione had been deeply hurt to see Harry and Ginny together, of that he was certain.

�I don�t know, Gin,� he replied thoughtfully, �but we need to go tell Harry about this.�

However, when they found Harry back in Ginny�s room, he was slumped on the couch clutching his chest, his breathing labored.

�It happened again? The chest pain?� Ron questioned rushing over to him.

Harry just nodded. He looked at Ginny who remained standing in the doorway. Their eyes met and she simply mouthed to him, �I�m so sorry.�

He couldn�t seem to get his breathing under control to answer her, so he just nodded again, wondering what on Earth could be causing him this much pain.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Hermione looked around frantically holding her wand out in front of her to illuminate the walls around her.

�Who�s there?!� She demanded in a voice sounding much braver than she felt.

Her words were met only with silence though. There had been an unmistakable presence in that corridor, she was sure of it.

With a shake of her head to release the memory of Harry and Ginny that had been played over again in her mind, she quickly exited the passageway. Slightly disoriented by the light after standing in the dark for so long, it took a moment to remember where she was supposed to be going.

What was her next class?... Arithmancy, she remembered quickly. A look at her watch told her she was already five minutes late, she sighed and sped off towards the classroom and away from the memories that had been haunting her for months.

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It's About Time