Summery When Hermione starts having these strange dreams about Harry that could ruin their friendship, she starts to get worried. When she lets slip to him about the most recent one, he gets angry and turns on her. Then, he starts getting these strange habits, habits that could get him in serious trouble or hurt. Hermione reluctantly resolves that the only way to help him is by asking Professor Snape for help. Can she find the courage to face him? What will come of their alliance?

A/N Sorry about this, Ron Weasley fans. If you fall in that catagory, you might want to stop reading now. You probably wont like it... Just a warning. This is my first HG/SS, so please give a chance. I would love a lot of reviews, so do me a huge favor and review!

Disclaimer I wish, but I don't own Harry Potter. This wonderful world is J. K. Rowlings, the best author ever. Any new characters are mine.

Prologue

"The time has come."

Silence hung in the air at this. Not a word was spoken, not a sound emitted. The silence was deafening. The dark robed people around the long table stared in shock at the man at the head, whose hood obscured his head. A large serpent hissed at his feet.

It was then a tall, pale man with blond shoulder length hair stood, his eyes smoldering. "My lord, it is too soon, they are not ready for this—"

"Silence!" The man at head snarled. "It is not your place to tell me what to do, Lucius! If I say it is time, it is time!" The snake coiled at his feet hissed angrily and bared its fangs threateningly. "Peace, Nagini," the man muttered in Parseltongue.

The man, Lucius, glared at him a moment then sat down slowly. He averted his eyes, his anger plain in the way his shoulders remained tense.

The man at head resumed speaking. "As you know, I am almost back to full strength, and if I am to win this war, I need the boy. His friends can easily be disposed of, considering how well you managed with the others." He paused.

"Voldemort, sir?" A woman with wild hair was gazing at him with a blood-thirsty fire in her dark eyes. "Let me kill them," she almost begged.

But Voldemort was shaking his head. "I understand your desires, but I cannot succumb to them." He cut her protest off. "Only they can do it. This is their task, not yours." He narrowed his eyes to show that conversation was over. "As you know, the ones I have chosen to help our—friends—are to lure them out only. If I catch any of you casting any spell at the target, however small or ineffective, I will have to deal with it…severely. Do I make myself clear?"

The Death eaters nodded. That is, all except one. A man in black robes stood, his face set determinedly. "I was remembering our—arrangement—from the other day, my lord, and I was just confirming it is still… valid." He spoke quickly, his eyes darting around at the others as if any one of them could leap at him at any given moment.

"Yes, Severus, but there are a few changes I have made to that particular plan," Voldemort replied. "I shall explain it subsequent of this meeting." Severus nodded shortly and retook his seat.

They went on to discuss other matters, such as how to deal with the Ministry, and Voldemort gave them each a task. "It is vital these are completed cleanly and with no evidence, or the entire plan may fail," he explained. Until the sky outside grew dark. Then Voldemort stood and announced, "This meeting is at an end. Leave, I don't want to see you until I summon." The Death Eaters stood and left the room.

Severus remained behind, his face hard. He was silent until Voldemort spoke. "I have decided that instead of taking the girl by force, you, Severus, will earn her trust and bring her here," the Dark lord began. "She will trust you, follow you, and stay by you, and you, in return, shall deliver her to me." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Do you understand? You must not tell her of this until I say it is time."

Severus nodded shortly, his black eyes smoldering. "Yes, my lord." Voldemort leaned back and Severus took his leave.

"Remember, Severus," Voldemort hissed. "You must not tell anyone."

Chapter 1

Snow covered the grounds at Hogwarts in a thick layer, turning the world white. No tracks distorted the quintessential covering of snow, and trees had perfect rings of white on their branches. A faint gust of icy wind rattled the frozen branches, but that was the only sound. No owls called, no wolves howled, and the forest seemed almost spellbound. But it couldn't last.

At that moment, several snaps sounded behind a high snowdrift and voices could be heard. At almost the same time, a jet of red sparks erupted from the drift and into the darkening sky.

"They should be here," one whispered, his voice rough like sand. "Where are they?"

"Shut up, or they'll hear us, you git!" another hissed. The first man muttered "they're not even here yet," and was quiet.

At that moment, the castles front doors bust open and four students flew down the front steps towards the hidden men.

"Get ready…" the second man whispered in anticipation as the students neared.

"Hermione, wake up! I saw something, you have to come!"

Hermione peeled her eyes open to see Ginny Weasley standing over her, an impatient expression on her face. "What now?" she grumbled, sitting up. "Its still nighttime, I'm tired!"

The redhead pointed out the window. "I saw red sparks from the Dark Forest," she explained. "Someone's in trouble!"

Hermione stood. "Are you sure?" She was wide awake now. Ginny nodded and Hermione followed her down the stairs to the common room.

Ginny immediately went to the boy's dormitory and disappeared up the stairs. When she returned, Harry and Ron were right behind, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. "Well, let's hurry if we're going," Harry yawned. "It looks cold out there."

They crawled out through the portrait hole—much to the annoyance of the fat lady—and hurried through the corridors. When they reached the front doors, they hesitated.

"What if it's a trap?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ron glared. "Fine, it's your funeral," he snapped and followed them. As Harry pushed the doors open, Hermione sensed a strange, unwelcome presence, but she chose to ignore it, and they hurried towards the Dark Forest.

As they entered the forest, Hermione realized she was in the lead and quickly fell back beside Harry. A twig snapped to the left of her, and she whirled to face it when a flash of bright blue light flashed past her and hit Ron in the chest, knocking him unconscious; he collapsed to the ground. Before Hermione could react, another spell hit Ginny, and she too fell. Hermione, who was enraged at the attacks, fired hex after hex in the direction the spells had come, but none hit their mark.

Suddenly, a wizard in black robes leaped out from behind a snowdrift, his wand aimed at her. "Put your wand down, missy," he sneered. She didn't move, causing him to scowl. "Don't make me say it again," he growled.

She slowly lowered her wand, then, with an adept twist of her wrist, brought it back up. "Stupefy!"

The attacker was thrown backwards as the spell hit him in the chest, and he landed hard in the branches of a dense pine tree. At the same moment another wizard leaped out from behind the drift and flicked his wand. Hermione was hurled backwards. White hot pain erupted from her neck and she screamed as she was slammed against a tree. A sharp crack sounded as her spine snapped. Her limp body fell to the ground. Her vision blurred and the last thing she saw was the second wizard dueling with Harry, then she blacked out.

When Hermione came to, which was only a few seconds later, she realized she couldn't move any part of her body except her head. Her face contorted and she screamed in helplessness as she tried to move. Finally she gave up. Her head throbbed, and she saw through blurred vision Harry, who was still fighting, glance in her direction and stare in shock. But it was just for a moment, for right then, the Death Eater she had Stunned stood shakily and staggered towards Ron and Ginny, who were still out. He grabbed Ron by his hair, pulled him upright, and wrenched his head back, exposing his neck. She gasped as the wizard pulled a dagger from his belt. He glanced over, sneered, and turned back. Hermione screamed and closed her eyes as the murderer drew his knife across Ron's throat, followed by a spurt of crimson blood. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched the redheads' lifeless body crumpled to the ground, staining the snow around him red.

As the Death Eater turned towards Ginny, the other Death Eater was thrown across the yard, crashing into his comrade. They skidded across the ground and vanished down a deep pit.

Harry hurried over to Ginny then froze as he spotted Ron. He collapsed to the ground in grief, then rose up, scooping Ginny into his arms. He glanced at Hermione, nodded, and headed back towards the castle. She could only lay there, unable to move, and wait for him to return. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and realized the Death Eaters were climbing out over the pit! The one Harry had dueled immediately collapsed, but the other headed straight for her, a hungry gleam in his eyes.

Raising his wand, he let out a cackle. He was suddenly thrown off his feet for the third time. Enraged, he stood to face his attacker, a man whose black hood was pulled over his face. The newcomer had his wand aimed at the Death Eaters face.

The Death Eater stepped back, unsure what to do, then turned and fled. Before he vanished, he turned, whisked his wand around at Hermione, yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" and was gone.

The remaining man stared in horror as the flash of green light hurtled towards Hermione and hit her in the chest. Her vision faded, and the last thing she saw was the man in black dashing over to her. Then her vision went black and time and memory ceased.

Hermione opened her eyes. She glanced around in awe and surprise. It seemed she was at Kings Cross, but it was different somehow. There were no bustling people trying to catch the train, no litter or garbage anywhere and there was a faint glow about it. She also saw she was the only person there.

Stepping forward cautiously, she started down the walkway, hoping to find someone, anyone, to tell her why she was here. As she passed a bench, she heard footsteps drawing near. She glanced up and gasped in shock. "Snape! Wha—what are you doing here?" she stammered, stepping away from him and wondering why her least favorite professor was here.

He narrowed his eyes. "It seems you have lost your way, Miss Granger," he slurred. "I have come to take you back."

Hermione gazed at him, confused. "What do you mean, back? Where are we? What is this place?" She again glanced around.

Snape rolled his eyes. "You're dead. This is where you come when you die."

Hermione just looked more confused. "Why are you here then? Are you dead too?"

Snape let out an exasperated sigh. "If this were Hogwarts I would put you in detention for a week for all the questions," he snapped, causing her to flinch. "I'm here to take you back, are you coming or not? We haven't all day."

She stepped towards him. "How—" she remembered what he said and closed her mouth quickly.

"How are we getting back?" He finished. "You'll see." With that, he grabbed her arm firmly and waited a moment.

Hermione stood there, more confused than ever, but she held her tongue. What was Snape doing?

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, almost knocking them over. It swirled around them and picked them up off their feet, towards the sky. Hermione grabbed Snape's arm, then saw his expression and let go awkwardly.

After a moment, they slammed down onto hard ground and lay there panting. Hermione opened her eyes and realized she was back in front of Hogwarts. She felt a hand on hers. She was about to look at it when it hit her. She could feel it! Relived, she tried moving but realized it was just her arm she could feel. She sighed and glanced over. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Snape slumped against a tree not a yard from where she lay. He wasn't moving, and his hand was resting limply on top of hers.

Surprised and horrified that her professor was seemingly dead, she was about to call out to someone when his hand twitched. She saw his eyes flutter open and he drew in a deep breath, his chest heaving. His wand lay by his other hand. Then he glanced over at her, and relief flickered in his glare for a moment. Then he stood and started back towards the castle. When he realized Hermione wasn't following he turned. "Well? Don't just sit there, you need to get back to your dormitory," he snapped harshly.

She averted her eyes and said, "I can't."

He scowled. "What do you mean you can't? You have legs haven't you?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't feel like it. I think—I think my spine broke."

He rolled his eyes and returned to her. "Where?" He bent down next to her.

"I can feel my arms, but not my legs."

"I need to get you to my classroom. Then I can see what I need…" Snape trailed off in thought. His face hardened. "Where are your friends? I saw Potter with Miss Weasley, but where is…"

"Ron?" Hermione finished. She swallowed and closed her eyes, not wanting him to see the tears that were threatening to spill.

Snape noticed change of attitude. "Where is Weasley?" He demanded.

Hermione ducked her head as the tears began streaming down her face and pointed.

Snape stood and headed in the direction. He saw the snow a few feet away stained red and bent down to uncover Rons' body. He was surprised to feel a pang of sorrow, but he quickly forced it down. No time for feelings.

He cast a Patronus and said, "I'm down by the Dark Forest. Found Granger. Weasley is dead. Send someone to help." He sent the Patronus to Dumbledore and cast a hurried spell on Ron's body.

Turning back to Hermione, he saw she had crossed her arms in front of her and was shivering violently. Sighing in resignation, he reluctantly took his own cloak off and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise and opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "I can't have a student freezing to death under my watch," he growled.

Glancing around to see that no one was around, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. She tensed, wanting to snap at him to keep his hands off her, and she lifted her head to do just that.

"Stay still," he snarled at her as her head cracked against his chin.

She tucked her head to her chest, her face burning. She remained tense and unmoving as he carried her through the corridors, hoping no one saw. It was bad enough he had seen her so weak and helpless, but him touching her? She was disgusted.

As they reached the dungeons without incident, Hermione felt her eyes getting heavy. She tried to stay awake, but when he set her down on a couch in his classroom, she immediately drifted off.

Snape sighed and slumped into his chair, watching the clock tick away on the wall while he waited for her to awaken so he could question her again. His mind whirled and his eyes were heavy.

He hadn't gotten any sleep last night; he had stayed up late grading essays, and just as he was preparing for bed, he had noticed red sparks outside. He had watched as the four foolish students dove headfirst into battle, not even considering what could be around the corner. He had been forced to intervene; otherwise Granger and the others would have died along with Weasley.

Now, as he sat here wondering what to do about Granger, his mind involuntarily turned to Lily. He tried viciously to force the thought from his mind, but it stayed and Snape could only watch his own thoughts replay over and over in his head.

After what seemed hours of his thoughts, but was only about ten minutes judging the time on the clock, Snape finally gave in to sleep.

He woke later to find he had slept over two hours. Glancing frantically around, he saw Granger had disappeared. He stood quickly, his scowl deepening as he noticed his office door open. He strode over and brushed into the room, startling Hermione, who was sitting in one of the chairs reading a thick volume.

She stood quickly, her expression horrified. "Professor! I woke up, and you were still asleep, so I though I'd read until you woke—"

Snape cut her off, his eyes round with shock. "How did you get in here?" he demanded harshly.

She froze and said, "Well, you left your door unlocked, and it was—"

"I know it was unlocked!" he snapped, causing her to flinch. "How did you get here? I thought you couldn't move."

She appeared startled, as if it had never occurred to her. "I—I don't know, sir…"

Snape swept over to her and pulled out his wand. "Where was it broken," he snapped. When she hesitantly pointed to her back just below her shoulder blades, he waved his wand over the area with a few muttered words. When he finished, he frowned and shook his head in perplexity. Glancing at Granger, he saw she had a look of confusion and embarrassment on her face. He snickered. "Well, Miss Granger, it seems you have miraculously healed on your own. Didn't expect that much did you?"

She shook her head, the gentle waves in her hair curling around her neck. "No, sir, but if I may, why do you think…"

"That happened?" he finished with a sneer. "Who knows why anything happens. Life itself is a mystery."

Hermione took a step back. "Thank you, professor, for…you know…" she trailed off, her face burning, and started towards the door. "I'll just leave now…"

Snape suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him. His eyes burned with a sudden intensity she couldn't begin to comprehend.

"Professor, what are you—?" she broke off as he pulled her closer, his face inches from hers. She tried to resist his hold, trying to escape his presence as he gazed at her, his eyes endless black pits that seemed to swallow her in their depths. She could feel his breath on her cheek and she gasped as his lips descended on hers…

Hermione's eyes flew wide and she bolted upright in her bed, gasping for breath. She realized she had broken out in a cold sweat. As her breathing slowed and she relaxed her tense muscles, she thought, what a vivid dream! Then she snorted to herself. More like a nightmare. She couldn't think of anyone she'd prefer to be with less than Snape. Just the thought made her shudder with repulsion.

Hermione glanced around at the still dark room. Everyone was still asleep. The alarm clock on her nightstand said 2:59. She sighed and yawned. She still couldn't shake the fact that her memory had played almost to a 'T' what had happened a year previous. It had all happened. That is, up to the part where she had fallen asleep, for which she was glad. No way would she allow Snape to ever, ever, ever do that to her. It was just…gross and wrong. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the terrible prospect her mind had come up with.

She sat there, her head throbbing, for almost an hour, her thoughts churning in her mind. What had invoked such a reverie? She never wanted to think of it again. Then she thought, what would Harry think if I told him? She mentally shook herself. She would not tell them. They already had too much to deal with, without her upsetting them with her childish worries and thoughts. She would resolve this problem herself.

Finally, she lay back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling, hoping to go back to sleep, but she was too shaken; there was too much on her mind.

When sleep finally came, she was still wondering about that strange dream.

Hermione felt strange, lightheaded and weightless. She stepped from outside into a long corridor that was dimly lit with burning torches along both of the walls. She glanced around warily, her eyes adjusting to the gloom. Several doors lined the walls, but Hermione wasn't inclined to open any until she reached a particularly old looking one with rusted hinges. She glanced around in case anyone was near then pushed the door open. It let out a loud creak, causing her to flinch, and she stepped into the room.

It definitely looked old; the paint was peeling off the walls, the shelf on the far side was messy and disorderly, the books thrown together in heaps. Hermione stifled a sneeze as she noticed the dust was inches thick on every surface. A broken sofa sat in the corner, its springs poking through the thin material. A chimney stuck out in the wall opposite her, a small flickering flame burning in the hearth. She narrowed here eyes. Why was there a fire when no one was here…?

Suddenly her breath caught in her throat. Sitting on the armchair by the mantel was an elderly man with disheveled gray hair, his hunched back to her. His face had numerous wrinkles and his scraggly beard was unkempt. Next to him on the floor was a figure that looked to be a boy. A long cloak was thrown over his shoulders and the hood was pulled over his head. Hermione stepped forward.

Without warning the man lifted his head, his sunken eyes blazing. Hermione paused, and it suddenly felt as if her feet were melded to the dusty floor. She watched as he rose from his chair, his hand outstretched towards her, his long bony fingers curled claw-like. She was about to explain why she was there when she realized he wasn't looking directly at her. His eyes instead scanned the room, passing over her frozen form several times without so much as pausing. Then it hit her. He could not see her!

She stepped forward, waving her hand hesitantly over his set face. Not a muscle twitched. Sighing in relief, she relaxed her tense shoulders and stepped back, glancing around the room again. That's when she noticed the boy on the floor had turned his head. Hermione let out a gasp of shock. It was Harry! He was watching the old man with confusion.

"What is it, Akiz?" he asked, alarmed. His eyes betrayed fear, and his hands clenched into fists. "Sir?"

The old man regained his balance and shook his head. Then he said in a low, rough voice broken with age, "No, Harry, no one is there." His face showed differently, however. He wasn't even sure of himself, Hermione thought.

At that moment, Harry spoke again. "Should I leave now? If you think someone was here—"

"No, Harry. You need to be here. You know that." The old man, Akiz, lowered himself stiffly into his chair and gazed at Harry, who had stood. "Please, sit," Akiz said kindly. Harry sat. "Now, you know me, always forgetting things. Could you please repeat what you said earlier?"

Harry nodded and began. "It was the other day, when Ron, Hermione and I were at Hagrid's. He was showing us how to take care of his Hippogriff, Buckbeak. Well, Hagrid said he needed to go get more straw for Buckbeak's bedding, so he left. Then, Ron said he would go help, and he needed to talk to Hagrid. So then it was just me and Hermione." He broke off, his eyes down. Hermione groaned inwardly. She could see where this was heading. Harry continued, "After a minute, Hermione started talking about her friends at school, you know, in the Muggle world before she came here. When she asked me how many friends I had at school, I told her no one liked me there. She just laughed and said…" he trailed off and Akiz motioned him on. "She said she wasn't surprised I have so many friends here. I probably didn't have any in the Muggle world. It—it hurt, but I didn't tell her. She never mentioned it again." He broke off.

"But that's not why you came, is it?" Akiz said softly. Harry shook his head and the old man continued. "I see what she said hurt you, but that is something you must take care of yourself."

Harry nodded impassively. "Very well, sir."

Akiz's expression softened as he gazed at Harry. "Now, you came here because of the—" He was cut off as the Midnight bell rang overhead. His face twisted apologetically. "Forgive me, Harry, but I must go now. Be here again tomorrow night, same time."

Harry nodded regretfully and stood. Hermione had to dive out of the way as he swept towards the door, his face pallid and his eyes unfocused. He opened the heavy wooden door and stepped out into the darkness of the hallway. Hermione cast one last glance at Akiz, who had slumped into his chair and closed his eyes wearily, then turned and followed Harry. He was already a good ways away, but when she caught up, she realized the place was getting familiar. She realized she was in Hogwarts! The walls and décor were the same, but there was too much dust covering the unused floors.

Abruptly, Harry in front of her grunted in annoyance as a small scrap of parchment fell from his robes pocket. Stooping, he cast his eyes across the floor in search, but to no avail. Hermione saw it get caught under the foot of a suit of armor, but the dust piled against it obscured it from Harry's view. Finally, he stood and continued down the hall, muttering curses under his breath.

At that moment, they rounded a corner and Hermione realized they were in the main hall that went to the Great Hall! Shocked at how far Harry had gone from the Gryffindor tower, Hermione was about to continue following him when she realized he had disappeared. Whirling, she saw she was the only one in the hall. She readied herself to head the way Harry had come when something hard hit her in the back of the head and she fell to the ground, her vision going black.

Hermione slept dreamlessly the rest of the night.

The next morning, when she woke, everyone else had already left the room. It was a Saturday, and clouds were gathering overhead. She hastily dressed, played with Crookshanks for a bit, and hurried down the stairs to the common room, where she stopped abruptly in surprise.

Almost everyone in Gryffindor had gathered there, and they all turned and watched as she appeared. All at once they erupted in cheers and surged towards her, congratulating her and applauding. Confused, she scanned the room for Harry. They were nowhere to be seen.

Cries of "Congratulations Hermione!", "Well done!", "You're so lucky!" and "Brilliant!" rang in her ears.

She finally managed to find Ginny. "What's going on?" She asked the redhead as the other students in the room slowly dispersed.

Ginny grinned widely. "You didn't hear? You're our new Head Girl! Dumbledore announced it at breakfast, but I guess you weren't there. Anyway, Harry's the Head Boy. Isn't that great?"

Hermione let out a weak smile. "That's wonderful," she yawned.

Ginny frowned. "Are you ok?" she asked. "You look really tired."

"I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well last night," Hermione assured her. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's find Harry. I need to ask him something."

"Ok then," Ginny said slowly, and followed her friend out of the Gryffindor common room.

After a few minutes walking through the halls, Hermion3e glimpsed a familiar hallway and paused.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione cast a fleeting glance at her friend. "Could you wait here a moment?" she asked.

Ginny looked confused but said, "Sure." Hermione started down the corridor, noticing there was dust everywhere as if no one had used it in a long time. When she neared the suit of armor she had seen in her dream, she began searching the ground. Before long, she spotted a scrap of parchment fluttering under the suits left shoe. Crouching down, she grasped it in her fingers and anger started boiling inside her as she recognized Harry's untidy scrawl. She remained there a moment then stood and started walking, her eyes fixated on the parchment. Suddenly she ran into a dark barrier. Glancing up, she gasped and her eyes widened in horror at the darkly familiar robes.

"I believe you are out of school boundaries, Miss Granger," Snape drawled, his black eyes narrowed. "May I ask why?"

Hermione stepped back, nearly tripping over her own shoes. "Professor! I—I was just…we were going to the Great Hall…and I saw something…"

Snape cut her off. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for leaving school bounds and muttering unintelligible gibberish," he growled. "I suggest you return to the Great Hall or I will dock more points, do I make myself clear?"

She nodded hurriedly and made to step past him when he suddenly grabbed her arm. Thoughts of her dream the night before surfaced in her mind and she yanked her arm from his grasp, alarmed. Without looking at him she took off down the hall, her robes streaming out behind her.

"Miss Granger, stop where you are immediately!" Snape snapped.

The terrified girl ignored him instead turning the corner and running headlong into Ginny, who stumbled backwards in surprise. "Hermione! What's wrong?"

Hermione didn't answer, her breath coming in rapid gasps. When she found her voice after a moment, she opened her mouth to speak. "It was—"

She didn't get to finish for at that moment Snape appeared around the corner she had come and stalked towards them, his face contorted into an expression of rage. When he spoke, his voice was filled with utter scorn. "That is not the way you act around your superiors, Granger. Detention, six o'clock tonight, my office." He shot her a look full of loathing and disappeared down another hallway.

Ginny stared wide-eyed at Hermione, who looked on the verge of tears. "What was that about?" She asked with incredulity.

"Nothing," Hermione muttered, turning towards the Great Hall. "Let's go."

As they entered the Great Hall, Hermione was surprised to find it almost empty. "Where is everyone?" she asked. She also noticed Snape wasn't at the High Table with the other teachers.

Ginny shrugged. "Left, I guess." She headed straight for the Gryffindor table, which was empty except for four first-years, Neville Longbottom, Fred and George Weasley, and Harry Potter. Hermione rushed over and took the seat next to him. Hr glanced up in surprise. "Good morning Hermione!"

She nodded and started filling her plate with eggs, toast and other breakfast foods. "So," she said, "you're Head Boy?"

A huge grin spread across Harry's face. "Yeah, and you're Head Girl." His smile faded to be replaced by a concerned frown. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

Hermione looked at him and shook herself. "Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

Harry shrugged. "You look really tired."

She glanced around at the Hall, which was slowly emptying, then back at Harry. "I need to tell you something, but not here," she said shortly and stood to leave.

Harry stared at her in confusion. "Why? What happened?" She didn't answer, so he followed her from the Great Hall. As they turned a corner, Harry suddenly grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, causing her to jerk away with a strange expression of fear and shock. He quickly released her, staring in surprise at her reaction. "Hermione, what—"

The terrified girl cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Not now," she hissed, rubbing her arm where he had grabbed her. She spun on her heel and continued down the corridor, leaving Harry no choice but to follow, still perturbed by her reaction.

When they were well away from the other students, Hermione stopped abruptly, causing Harry to walk right into her. She spun around and he recoiled slightly at her forceful glare. "Why didn't you tell me?" she raged suddenly. "I could have helped! I never knew that hurt you like it did!"

Harry jerked back in surprise and stared at the furious Gryffindor. "What are you talking about?" he inquired. "You could have helped with what?" His eyes betrayed the sense of horror growing as he realized he was caught. He was not to be disappointed.

"You know what!" Hermione snarled savagely. "You, going to talk with what's-his-name and saying those things about your own friend, about me…" her voice broke at the last words.

Harry felt his chest clench in realization, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Hermione, I—"

"Don't say anything," she snapped whirling around and stalking away. "It means nothing to me."

A/N I know, sad ending, it had to happen. Please review and tell me what you think! I noticed that over fifty people have read it, but I still don't have one review. Thats kind of disappointing for all you wonderful readers. Alright, here's the deal. First, third, sixth and tenth person to review will get to choose one thing they want to happen in this fanfic, and I will include it. There are a few exceptions, so choose wisely!

Thanks for reading!