Chapter 1

Back to School Dreaming

A new year has begun at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All students have moved back into their dormitories and the newly appointed Head Girl and Boy have moved into their new rooms, still within their old dormitories. The new Head Girl, who happens to be a Gryffindor, arrived to school later than the others, due to some family matters that needed to be attended to. She just settled down to start her mountain of homework when there was a knock at her door.

"Hermione, are you in there?" a small voice called from beyond the door. She looked up from her desk and admitted Ginny Weasley. Hermione smiled and gestured for Ginny to sit down. Hermione was glad to see Ginny, since she didn't get to see her on the school train.

"I was wondering when I was going to see you," Hermione told her with a smile. She offered Ginny a drink, which she poured with her wand. Hermione complemented on how much Ginny had grown since she had last seen her, which was at the end of last term. Ginny had grown at least four inches since then, now standing at 5'7". Her hair had gotten longer and much redder. Her cheek bones were higher and more distinctive; she had definitely looked much older. Ginny was now sixteen and had just started her sixth year at Hogwarts.

"You've grown over the summer too, Hermione. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you when you got here the other day. I've been busy and I thought I would give you time to unpack and get situated in your new room," Ginny told her. Hermione had grown a few inches, also standing at 5'7". Her hair was still bushy, but then again, she wouldn't be Hermione if it wasn't. She had filled herself out and had more curves than she did last year. Ginny figured that her being seventeen and in her final year at Hogwarts had something to do with that. When Ginny first saw Hermione, she knew that her brother would flip his lid when he saw her.

"You're starting to sound like me, Ginny. I'm not mad. I'll have plenty of time to see you. Come visit me here anytime you want to. So what's up? Is everything okay? How are your classes so far?" Hermione asked after she had taken a sip of her drink. Ginny nodded. Over the summer, Ginny had made a promise to herself that she was going to get her brother and Hermione together before they graduated from school. She knew that if they left school and they were not together, they never would be. Ginny knew how Hermione felt about him and she also knew how Ron felt about her.

"Have you seen Ron at all this term?" Ginny asker her with a sly smile. At the mention of Ron's name, Hermione's face turned a slight shade of red. She began to play with her hair so that Ginny would not see her blush. Hermione had, in fact, seen Ron since she arrived back to school. He was now roughly 6'5" and more muscular than he was at the end of last term; mainly because he worked out over the summer in order to stay in shape for Quidditch (he was the Keeper for the Gryffindor team). He had grown his hair long and he even had a goatee. Hermione definitely realized how cute Ron had become, and she knew that she wasn't the only one. As he walked through the corridors, she noticed other girls' heads turned to stare at him. She felt angry by it, but never said anything. Why is Ginny asking me this? And why is she smiling like that?

"Of course I have seen him, Ginny. We do have classes together. Why would you ask me a question like that?" she said quickly, trying to hide her red face. Ginny shrugged her shoulders and rose from the chair that she was sitting in.

"I just thought that I would come ask how you were and to see if you liked his new look, that's all. Good night, Hermione," she said with a wicked smile as she left the room. She closed the door behind her, leaving Hermione sitting on her bed with her mouth hanging open and a dumfounded expression on her face. After Ginny left, Hermione shut off her light and crawled into her new bed. She stared at the ceiling and she found herself thinking about Ron. He is sooo cute. Why didn't I realize it before? Actually I did, but I don't think I can hide it anymore. I can't believe I'm thinking about Ron as more than a friend. She was asleep within minutes.

MEANWHILE

Harry and Ron were in the room they shared with Dean, Seamus and Neville, but they were the only two awake. They were talking about their favorite sport: Quidditch.

"You are going to be great this year, Ron. You have built up a lot over the summer and that will be a huge advantage in our new game plan," Harry told him. Harry was shocked when he first saw Ron on the Hogwart's Express. Then again, Harry knew that he had changed quite a bit over the summer too. He had spent the summer traveling with Lupin. Harry had grown to be 5'10". He was still skinny, but he was solid muscle. His hair had gotten a little longer, which made Harry happy because his hair was much tamer than it used to be.

"You're gonna do great too, mate. That cup will have our names on it this year for sure. You'll be a great captain. Let's just hope you're not as crazy as Wood was," Ron told him. Harry nodded, thinking what he was going to say next. What Ron didn't know was that Harry had promised himself that he was going to get Ron and Hermione together before their last year at Hogwarts ended. He knew that if they didn't do it before then, it probably wouldn't happen at all. Harry knew how they felt about each other, and he decided to make them both realize it and get them to do something about it.

"I saw Hermione earlier. She looks good. She has definitely grown over the summer. What do you think, Ron?" Harry asked him with a smile on his face. Harry's words had a strange effect on Ron, though they both tried to act casual about it. Harry saw the look on Ron's face when he saw Hermione for the first time after she had come back to school. The only other time Harry had seen a look like that on Ron's face was when Fleur Delacour came to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament during their fourth year. He didn't mention it to Ron at the time, but he knew that he would have to if he planned on getting the two of them together any time soon.

"I've seen her if that's what you mean. She's only in just about every one of my classes, you git. And yes, she has grown up since last year," Ron told him. Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. "Why do you ask?" he asked tentatively. Harry shrugged his shoulders and got into his bed.

"I was just surprised at how much older she looked and was wondering what you thought about it, that's all. Good night, mate," he said as he closed the curtains on his four-poster bed. Ron just stared at Harry's closed curtains with his mouth hanging open. He crawled into his own bed and stared at the ceiling. He found his thoughts wandering to Hermione. She's so beautiful. I can't believe that I'm thinking about her as more than a friend. I just can't help myself. If only I could tell her how I really felt. He drifted off to sleep within minutes.

His lips softly kissed her neck while his hands caressed her body. The feeling inside was that of no other she had felt before. She let herself give in to him, her body moving with his. This was something that she never thought would happen. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Then, his lips began to move along her naked body. She allowed him to do so… it felt so good. This was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she loved it. Everything was going so well.

Hermione woke up suddenly. She sat up in her bed panting. It was just a dream. She couldn't believe that she had a dream like that. That morning at breakfast, she told Ginny about it. It was a little weird to tell her since it was about her brother, but she understood. She giggled as she heard about the dream.

"I can't believe you had a dream about that," Ginny said with a slight giggle. "Does this mean that you like my brother?" she asked slyly. Ginny knew that Hermione liked Ron, but she had never actually admitted. Ginny couldn't wait for the day when Hermione finally admitted it. Unfortunately, she didn't get an answer to her question because Harry and Ron had just sat down across from them. Hermione blushed and told Ginny that they would talk about it later. After breakfast, they all set out for their classes. Hermione went off for her Arithmancy then Muggle Studies classes while the boys had Double Divination. This gave her some time to think about an answer to Ginny's question. She met up with them in the Great Hall for lunch and the three of them walked down to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures. They ended their day of classes with Transfiguration. After dinner, she went straight to her room to talk with Ginny about what they had started talking about at breakfast. Ron had grown suspicious of Hermione's behavior since breakfast.

"Is it me or have you notice that Hermione has been a bit off today?" Ron asked Harry as they sat down at one of the tables in the common room to start their Divination homework. Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. "I wonder what's the matter with her," he said as he looked in the direction of the staircase.

"Why don't you go ask her? I'm sure she'll tell you if you did," Harry told him plainly, with a slight smile on his face. Ron sat there, as if he was trying to decide if he would go talk to her or not. He decided not to since he didn't want it turning into an argument, which usually happened. Instead, the two of them sat there and did their work. Ron groaned over the amount of work Professor Trelawney had given them.

MEANWHILE

Hermione and Ginny were talking more about the dream that Hermione had. Ginny said that she knew, or thought she knew, what it meant.

"It's hard to believe that you are the smartest girl at Hogwarts, Hermione. It's totally obvious that you like my brother. Especially if you are having dreams about him where you two are doing stuff. You must have an attraction or some sort of feelings for him," Ginny told her as she stifled a giggled.

"But how can that be? We always fight and we can't ever agree on anything," Hermione told her defensively, but blushing as she said it. Ginny told her that it is very possible for two people who have absolutely nothing in common and who argue all the time to still be attracted to each other. Hermione was unsure about all of this. She blushed at the thought of her and Ron together. Why am I feeling like this? She decided to leave it there for the night and go to sleep. Ginny left and went back down to the common room to find only Harry sitting by the fire.

"Where's Ron?" she asked as she sat down in the chair across from him. She avoided his eyes; she found it hard to look him in the eye since she has had a crush on him since the day they met. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that he was staring at her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She blushed slightly and stared deeper into the fire. Harry couldn't help but stare at Ginny. Ever since they had come back to Hogwarts, he couldn't help but notice how much Ginny had changed. She has definitely gotten taller since the last time I saw her. Her hair was different; no doubt redder and a bit longer than it was last year. She has developed very nicely as a young woman. Harry stopped himself there, he was about to think of Ginny as more than just his best friend's little sister and he couldn't do that. Yet he couldn't help himself. When he first saw her on the train, he had, for the first time, become aware of how beautiful she really was. He found himself staring at her whenever he saw her. He even found himself thinking about her and wishing that he could see her when she wasn't around. He then realized that he had been staring at her for quite some time and decided to go back to the book he was reading. "Harry, have you seen my brother?" she asked him again after he didn't answer her the first time.

"What? Oh, sorry. He went to bed," he said rather quickly as he blushed slightly. "Hey Ginny, what's the matter with Hermione? Ron thinks she's been acting weird today." She looked at him, probably for the first time in a long time. Their eyes met and neither of them wanting to look away. Ginny then realized that she was staring into his eyes and looked away so he wouldn't see her blush.

"Nothing's wrong with her. We were just catching up on some things since we didn't see each other over the summer," she told him as she got up. "I'm going to bed. Night, Harry," she said as she went up the staircase to the girl's dormitory. Harry didn't say anything. He just stared after her. After she had gone, he didn't feel like reading anymore. He closed his book and went to his room. When he got there, he laid on his bed looking at the ceiling. He found himself thinking about Ginny. He couldn't believe that he, Harry Potter, was actually daydreaming (even though it was nighttime) about Ginny Weasley. Not too soon after, he was fast asleep.

During the night, Hermione had the same dream again. Only this time, things had gone a little farther than the previous night. She got out of bed and went down to the common room. Unbeknownst to her, someone else was having the exact same dream that she was. Moments later, Ron came downstairs. His hair was tousled and he was wearing a white T-shirt with holes in it and a pair of grey boxer shorts. They both blushed at the fact that he was wearing his underwear.

"Sorry. I didn't think anyone else was up now," he said as he slumped down in the chair across from her. She nodded, but didn't say anything. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "What are you doing up this late? You couldn't sleep either?" he asked. She shifted uneasily in her chair, not knowing what to say.

"No. Been having some weird dreams lately," she told him in a small voice. He smiled sheepishly at her, but didn't say anything. She looked at him, wishing that she could tell him what her dreams were about, but couldn't muster the courage to do so. He yawned in his chair and stretched his arms back. When he did this, she could see the muscles in his arms, shoulders and chest bulge against his shirt. He looks so good. When he looked at her, she looked away, realizing that she had been staring at him. "What are you doing up now?" she asked him to break the silence.

"Same as you. Had a weird dream," he told her. She noticed that his ears went slightly pink, which usually happened when he was either mad or nervous about something.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Nah. Nothing big."

"Oh. OK.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked, grinning slightly as she blushed to his question.

"Not really," she told him. She decided that it would be better if she went back to her room. She said good night and left him sitting alone in the common room. No sooner had she left, Harry appeared. He sat down next to Ron and asked him why he was up so late.

"I just had a really weird dream… about Hermione," he told Harry. Harry raised an eyebrow and asked Ron to tell him what the dream was about. When Ron finished his story, Harry was grinning. "What's the grin for, mate?" he asked Harry, who couldn't stop grinning.

"Isn't it obvious, Ron? You like her. You always have. You must have admitted it to yourself by now, but I just can't believe that it has taken you seven years to finally admit it out loud. All those bludgers must have finally knocked some sense into you," he told him. Ron just shrugged, but wouldn't look Harry in the face. He knew he was right, but he wouldn't tell him so. Ron stood up and mumbled something that sounded like he was going to bed and left the common room. When he got into bed, he just laid there thinking about what Harry had said. He's known he's liked Hermione for a while; ever since their fourth year when she went to the Yule Ball with him. He was so mad about that. At the time, he didn't understand why he was so upset, but he finally figured it out. Then he started to think about her. He thought of how odd she had been acting earlier that day and how she blushed when he came into the common room earlier. Was I imagining the fact that she couldn't bring herself look me in the eye? Was I imagining that she was staring at me when we were alone in the common room together? He shook himself back to reality and then realized that he really was imagining things. He knew that there was no way that she would ever like him. He rolled over and closed his eyes. All he saw was her face. He rolled onto his back wide awake. What is the matter with me? Why am I constantly thinking about Hermione? I know I like her, but I didn't think I liked her that much. With those last thoughts, he drifted into a deep sleep. While he slept, he dreamed of Hermione.