Hello there! It is I, back with another story... It's gotten into my head, and I couldn't get it out until I wrote it. It's not nearly finished, but I decided to let in a peak. Hope you like it... Review and make my day!

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize as being part of the Harry Potter Universe is mine, otherwise I'd be writing the real Harry Potter series instead of fanfiction.

Lunch time.

For some Hogwarts students it was a time to recharge batteries for the afternoon classes, for others it was time to put the gossip in order, and there were even a few who had fun playing with the food. This day, however, lunch wasn't being the same fun as it usually was for Harry Potter. He didn't pay attention to Ron, who was sitting at his side and discussing some important issues with Seamus, like which team in France had the best keeper or who was going to win the Irish Quidditch League, nor did he pay attention to Ginny's chat with Dean about how much money a professional Healer made every year. And he couldn't afford to look at Hermione Granger. She would know something was wrong with him.

Definitely, this was not being the best lunch for the Boy-Who-Lived. It wasn't the roast beef, the pumpkin juice or even the Yorkshire pudding. Minutes passed agonizingly slow…

Harry took a peek at his watch and, as he looked up again, he caught someone getting up. He recognized the person as being Hannah Abbot leaving the Hufflepuff table.

He checked with his watch again. It was almost half past noon. Making his best to look a bit ill, which wasn't hard, he started counting the seconds inwardly, one by one.

One minute left…

Fifty-nine seconds left…

Fifty-eight seconds left…

…

Forty-three seconds left ------

"Harry?"

Harry looked up to see Hermione, who was sitting right in front of him, wearing a concerned look. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"Well…" he mumbled. Harry tried to think of something to say. He couldn't tell the truth to her but had to give her a good reason for what he'd do. Think! THINK!

"You don't look too good" she said, reaching across the table with her right hand and cupping Harry's left cheek, slowly rubbing her thumb in comforting circles.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment, appreciating her feather touch but, just when he was starting to reel in the feeling, he remembered what he had to do. He took Hermione's hand in his and kissed it gently. "I think I have a headache…" he wrinkled his nose and sighed, placing his free hand on his forehead "I think I'm going upstairs and rest for a while…"

Hermione still looked concerned but agreed with a silent nod and a smile. Harry didn't have as much nightmares as last year due to his progress with Occlumency, but his scar bothered him almost every day. Hermione was getting used to it, and her concern over it was slowly fading to a safe minimum. Sixth year was almost ending and she had been with Harry almost every evening, when his scar usually hurt, comforting him, easing the pain away, letting him know she would never leave his side.

She gazed into the space where Harry had been just moments before, with a slight hint of disappointment in her expression. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to hug him and rock him gently, whispering soothing words in his ear as he hugged her back and held her close to him, making both of them feel safe and complete.

Oh well, seems like I just have to wait until after class… she thought. Oh, how she felt like skipping class and run directly to his dorm and hold him close to her!

But she couldn't. She had classes to attend to, and boyfriend or no boyfriend, her teachers wouldn't agree with that kind of behaviour. Harry was safe inside Hogwarts, and he had all the school staff nearby in case he needed anything. He had a reason to skip classes, she didn't. You'll see him tonight, don't worry.

She smiled at her own thoughts and resumed eating her meal, not the least interested in Seamus and Ron's discussion about which team had the better odds of signing Antonio Silva, one of the beaters from the Portuguese National Team when the season ended.

Harry stepped out of the Great Hall and looked back. Hermione wasn't looking at him. Great! Excellent thinking, Harry old chap! Instead of turning to the staircase that led to the Gryffindor tower, he drifted off in the opposite direction. He walked to a deserted classroom and silently closed the door behind him. Hannah was there waiting for him.

"Perfect" he said, smiling broadly.

"Did Hermione see you coming here?"

"No. She thinks I went upstairs to get some rest."

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Get some rest?"

Harry only raised a hand to his forehead and showed his scar.

Hannah's eyebrow descended to its original position. "Well, guess that will do. Wouldn't like to have her catching us alone in here…"

"Don't worry, she won't" Harry said, more hoping than anything.

"For the sake of both of us, you better be right."

After a moment's worth of awkward silence, both of them imagining the terrible consequences they'd suffer if Hermione suddenly bumped into them inside a deserted classroom, Harry decided to shrug it off and get on with what they had to do. "So, how's it going to be?"

Hannah frowned. "What do you mean, how?"

Harry opened his mouth but it took him a few moments to get his answer out. "You know, how we're going to… do it" he said, finding his shoelaces very interesting all of a sudden.

"You leave the how to me. The question is, when do we do it?"

"OK… when do we do it?"

She shrugged. "You're the one who's supposed to know that."

Harry sighed in exasperation. "It's not very easy to get away from Hermione without being suspicious."

"But you're the one who spends more time with her. You're the one who has to know when we can do it. I'm available almost all of the time, so this is your call."

Harry thought for a few seconds… "Alright. I think I have a plan."

He moved close to her, whispering in her ear. This time, both her eyebrows shot up. "Tonight? How?"

The day passed quickly and soon it was time for supper. Hermione had gone up to the boys dorm to check on Harry just before her afternoon classes, finding him immersed in a peaceful slumber, which gave her a warm feeling that made her company during the whole time. People were used to see her smile a lot since Harry had finally confessed his love for her five months ago and asked her to be his girlfriend – a request she immediately accepted – so her happy and peaceful mood didn't really surprise anyone anymore.

She closed the book she had been reading for the last two days, 'How to Transform Rusty Nails Into Useful Things – The Diary of a Survivor in the Deserts of the Middle-East', and went to place it inside her trunk, upstairs in her dorm. When she came down she asked Ron to check on Harry.

Ron came down after a few moments. "Still sleeping like a rock."

Hermione sighed with disappointment. Oh well, I'll see him after supper… At least he's sleeping soundly, and that's good. He hasn't been sleeping well very often ever since Sirius died… "Well, come on then, Ron. Let's grab something to eat."

Ron nodded his approval and raced Hermoine to the Great Hall. Just as they disappeared through the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry slowly descended the stairs to the common room and looked around.

No one in sight.

"Good" he muttered under his breath. He knew that either Ron or Hermione would check on him and when they'd see him sleeping without the traces of a nightmare they'd leave him that way. His plan was working.

He hurried to the portrait and swung it open, finding Hannah waiting for him just outside. She jumped in and he closed the portrait after them. He walked her to the center of the common room, where there was more space for them. Hannah looked around, slightly in awe, being the first time inside the Gryffindor common room. It was very different from her own, downstairs in the Hufflepuff quarters. Harry coughed slightly, braking her off her reverie.

She smiled at him. "The room's perfect, but we need more space."

Harry looked around. "More space?"

They had nothing but the carpet on the floor in a ten foot radius.

"If we're going to do it properly, we need more space" she said simply.

Harry sighed and took it upon himself to levitate things out of their position, until both of them had nothing to bump into in a twenty foot radius. "Does this tickle your fancy now, your highness?"

"Yes." She smiled and walked to him, snaking an arm around his waist, standing very close to him as to feel his breath on her face. "Let's get on with this."