Disclaimer: Don't own and never will do.

A response to 'The girls of Harry Potter 3 challenge. My chosen character is Susan Bones.

"Harry, look out!" Susan screamed as she knocked him out of the way of a sickly looking curse.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, sending a stunner back at the Death Eater behind him. He turned and faced Susan. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Harry turned and looked at the approaching Death Eaters. Although Lord Voldemort had fallen, there were still remnants of his troops still active. Their attack on Hogsmeade had been a complete surprise. He then looked firmly at Susan and for a moment he was lost in her beautiful eyes. He mentally shook himself. Where had THAT come from, he wondered to himself.

"You have to get out of here. Now. I'll hold them off while you get help." He told her; mentally praying that at least one teacher was in Hogsmeade with them. Susan glared at him.

"I am NOT leaving you to fight them on your own. What do you think I am, some kind of Slytherin?" she snapped.

"But-"

"Besides, I'll be okay." She added with a smile. "I've got my towel with me."

Harry gave her a quizzical look and Susan mouthed to him the word later. Turning as one, the two turned and started throwing spells at the Death Eaters.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP.

The two teenagers were soon rescued by several Hogwart's professors (Including a truly scary Professor Sprout.) As she escorted the two of them back to Hogwarts, she gave them a long and angry lecture on not being stupid enough to directly challenge a group of Death Eaters, even if one of them was the boy-who-lived, he was not indestructible and would he please not inspire further acts of sheer stupidity in her students please! As her lecture came to an end, Harry turned and faced Susan.

"What did you mean when you said that you'll be ok, you've got your towel?" Harry asked in a puzzled voice. "Does it have magical properties?"

Susan shook her head and Harry pressed on.

"Then why did you th-"?

"You've never read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, have you?" she interrupted and Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. Susan simply grinned at him.

"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams." Susan elaborated. "It's a work of pure genius. Anyway, according to the book, you'll always be okay if you have your towel."

"Really?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow in question and mentally wondered whether his Hufflepuff classmate was completely crazy.

"Oh yes." Susan replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "You'll always be okay if you always have your towel."

"Oh?"

"Especially as it's my lucky towel" Susan continued in a perfectly straight voice. "This one's special to me. My mum gave it to me when I started Hogwarts because it was her lucky towel and she had it when she started Hogwarts."

Harry stared at the towel Susan was carrying. It was an unremarkable yellow towel to him. He shrugged.

"How come Ron and Hermione weren't with you anyway?" Susan pressed, before he could say anything. "It's not like the Golden Trio to be separated on a Hogsmeade visit."

"Ron and Hermione are on a date." Harry replied. "And Neville and Ginny came into the Three Broomsticks on their date and I didn't feel like hanging around."

"I don't think they meant to hurt you Harry." Susan told him reproachfully. "Falling in love was something that just happened with them."

"I know." Harry said with a rueful smile. "It's not like Ginny and I didn't make a go of things after the war, but…" Harry paused. "Guess it wasn't meant to be. But that's why we broke up, we lost the magic." He turned to face Susan as they approached the Hufflepuff common room. "Why would you bring a towel to Hogsmeade anyway."

Susan blushed. "Well I was thinking of asking a boy out." She murmured and Harry felt an unexpected rush of jealousy that he didn't really understand. This was Susan Bones, the quiet little Hufflepuff who he had shared classes with for most of his Hogwarts career. He'd taught her in the DA and even talked to her after her Auntie was killed.

"Who?" he asked, trying to keep his feelings under control. Susan blushed even harder.

"Well…umm, well…" she stuttered before suddenly grabbing Harry and pulling his lips to hers. Blushing furiously, she rushed off into her common room. Harry stood there, licking his lips in disbelief. That had been some kiss! Feeling a sudden spring in his step, he started walking to the Gryffindor tower, whistling an old wizarding love song.