"Hermione!" came the screech from Ginny, as she raced toward the brunette who had spun around, shocked by the break in the silence.
"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione you will never guess what!" the red head got out between gasps of air, hands on her knees, looking as if she had been handed a million gallions.
"What?" said Hermione worried that there had been a new development in the search for Voldemort. "I found out from Pavarti, who was told by Padma, who slept with Seamus who told her that Neville of all people, came stumbling in the other night from a rein de vous with none other than Loony Lovegood" she finished with a grin about a mile wide.
"So?" Hermione asked looking slightly non plussed at the hysteria Ginny had made about such a trivial and pointless bit of information. "So that means that all the boys in the sixth year have been laid, apart from Harry." She exclaim as if she was explaining it to a two year old. (not that this a subject that should be discussed with a two year old)
"Why does it matter?" Hermione said as she began to walk back to the common room. "Hermione," Ginny said sounding slightly exhausted with the fact that Hermione wasn't grasping the concept of what she was saying, "it means that the rumors that Harry is gay will get stronger now that even Neville got laid, and the only reason, we assume that it has taken so long for him is that his nerves wouldn't let him, you know, get it u …."
"Hi Neville" Hermione called loudly, desperately trying to cover up what her friend was saying. Neville smiled waved at the girls, then carried on down the corridor whistling a far happier tune than yesterday. "Ginny people don't need to know about Harry's love life, its his, no one else's." Opening the portrait hole they stepped through to find Ron and Seamus playing an intense game of chess with their females watching, Ginny decided she was going to take the role of pissing off her brother, for just pure entertainment. Hermione turned to head up to her dormitory when she saw Harry was slumped in a chair by the fire, with his Defense against the Dark Arts book across his lap. Hermione set her books on one of the tables, she walked over to where he sat took his glasses from his face placing them on the side table, then transfiguring a blanket and laying it over him. She pushed his hair out of his face and bent to give the scar on his forehead a kiss. She picked up her books and head up to bed.
The next morning Harry and Hermione sat quietly eating breakfast when the post owls arrived. Harry received his daily batch of fan mail delivered by no less than six owls, and a letter from Mrs. Weasley.
Hermione who only ever expected one owl two at tops, this morning had three sharing her orange juice. One with the daily prophet the other a letter from her parents and the last was Ginny's owl Hippogriffs shortened usually to Hippo. It was Ginny's owl that Hermione was not expecting; she had spoken to the girl maybe twenty minutes earlier
She opened the letter, Hermione meet me in the bathrooms on the fourth floor as soon as you get this. Gin. "I'll see you later Harry, Ginny apparently has something urgent to tell me."
She grabbed her stuff and left the great hall, as she made her way up to the fourth floor there seemed to be a large contingent of girls going in the same direction.
As she reached to bathroom she had to force herself through the massive crowd of girls to find Ginny at the center of it all with a piece of paper in her hands, over her shoulder leaned Pavarti and Lavender.
When Ginny looked up to see Hermione she made her way straight to her. "What is all this?" Hermione exclaimed slightly out of breath from the fight through the crowd.
"Look" Ginny said as she shoved a piece of paper into Hermione's hands. In Hermione's hands was some form of a love letter, addressed to someone called Don't judge a book by its cover, and from someone by the name of Golden boy.
All I can think about is the smell of your hair as you slept on my chest, your soft skin sliding against mine, your night time chatter where you very sternly said " Voldemort leave the House Elves alone". The softly whispered promises and the physical adoration, the combining of two souls, so in love separation would lead to ruin for both. I ask only that you meet me tonight at seven, room of requirement. To let me reciprocate the same feeling and sentiments back. With love your Golden boy.
"Ok so…. You made all this fuss over a love letter, that is really rather corny." Hermione looked back up at Ginny. "Yes!! Because it's a love letter from Harry." Hermione's eyebrows disappeared into her hair. "Ginny you're making quite an assumption there. If it was me I would do a bit more research before I made the claim that Harry is seeing someone. Any way I have to go to class or I will be late."
Ginny watched Hermione leave rather upset that her friend didn't seem to think the letter was important, speaking of the letter… "She took the letter, she took it. That's crucial evidence, spread out and get it back."
Ginny scream at the crowd by the door. Hermione was already a floor below them. Then Ginny had another epiphany why would Hermione take the note the only evidence if she didn't know it was and she was protecting someone. "Mione knows get her, we have to know grab her." Everyone dropped their stuff and joined the chase.
Ginny being related to Fred and George, who made sure she knew the most efficient ways around the castle. Hermione was using every shortcut in the book to get to Potions on time and quick enough that the hoard behind wouldn't catch up.
She never thought of Snape's class as a safe haven but at this moment she couldn't think of anything but Snape being able to stop what was behind her. She raced into the class room, and dropped into her seat just as the bell rang and Ginny got to the door.
Snape sat at his desk with a snide look on his face, Miss Granger perhaps a little more delicately next time five points from Gryffindor, and Miss Weasley detention at seven tonight, for not being in class on time, wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
Ginny shot Hermione a looked that would have killed if it could. She then point at Hermione and proceeded to make the chopping someone's head off motion. Hermione gave her a sickly sweet smile and a wave.
When Ginny was gone Hermione slumped in her seat with a sigh of relief. Harry gave her a questioning smile. She then handed him the note.
"It's a good thing they didn't get the one I wrote about last night; it was slightly more explicit than this one." He turned to look at her, "wasn't this the first one I wrote you?" he turned to look at her.
She looked down a little shy, "Yes, I must have dropped it when I went to the bathroom before breakfast." Harry tried to hide a smile. "Would you mind if I ask why you took that note to the loo with you?" this time letting the grin show through. She smacked him on the arm,
"I keep it with me, so I can read it every once in a while it probably fell out of my bag. It's just sods law that Ginny happened to pick it up." Harry gave her hand a squeeze letting her know that he was glad she cared that much.
"So I'm assuming everyone will be outside the room of requirement tonight, which means the path to that spot by the lake will be open." He said with a rather primitive look in his eye,
"Baby it's a good thing they don't know my new nick name for you." He leaned forward invading her space, leaving an inch between their lips. "And what exactly is this nickname?" "Midas touch." She said in a heady voice. Then she closed the gap while no one was looking, and nipped his lip.