A/N: Thanks everyone for your awesome reviews and encouragements! You have all been awesome. It makes me so excited to see that someone has read and likes my story. Like I said, this is my first story, and I am trying to put my best into it. Just a few notes

Bob-san: I do realize that I could us "Rite" in the title, but it doesn't convey the meaning that I am looking for. Even Microsoft's grammar check wanted me to use Rite, but that is not what I am going for. To me, and according to the definitions I have looked up to make sure my idea is sound, a Rite is something that someone goes through to earn passage. The idea of Right that I am trying to go for is someone's inalienable right, something that they should never have to fight for or earn, but that they just have because they exist.

As I am still working on this story myself, there may be up to a week or two in between updates, depending on how life treats me seeing as I just bought a new computer that I will be breaking in once it arrives (Yay for custom ordered Macs!). I am also going to be updating my profile page as soon as I can get to it. I will work very hard not to keep you waiting too much.

I also realize that this chapter is longer than the previous one. I cannot say that I will have any uniformity when it comes to chapter lengths. I just write until i feel the chapter is done!

The sections from the flashbacks are taken from HP: OoTP Chapter 12 and 13 with a little bit of editing to make it fit the story. All credit for the original writing goes to JK Rowling as we all know.

As always is the case in fan fictions, I own nothing but this particular plot.

Sept 15, 1995

Hermione was lying in her bed after an exhausting day of classes. When she was being taught by Professor Dumbledore she hadn't faced this kind of workload but it didn't bother her. This is what she lived for, the challenge, the knowledge, the thrill of learning new things. It was awesome. However, that still didn't mean that the workload was easy. Every day she would spend her time in classes, eating, or in the library. She hadn't found very many people she felt she could approach to be friends, which didn't bother her unduly. Yes, Professor Dumbledore had urged her to find friends who shared her belief about magical heritage, but how do you go about finding those people? It's not like she could just go up to someone and say 'Hello, are you a supporter of the magical inheritance because I am a muggle-born witch studying here and I need your help to change wizarding society.' That's to say nothing of the fact that wizarding society had not had a major change in who knows how many generations of witches and wizards.

Her heartbeat sped up a little as she thought about where she was and how she got here. A month ago, even, if someone had told her that she would be going to Hogwarts to continue her magical education she would have laughed at them. She had known it was impossible, more magical records where very precise and although she fought tooth and nail to be able to go to Hogwarts, she had always known in the back of her mind that it was impossible for her to actually go. But now, she was actually here! She was learning from the most amazing professors, except perhaps for Professor Snape. The man seemed to have it out for anyone but his own house, and especially for Harry Potter.

Flashback

Snape could hardly have set them a more difficult, fiddly potion. The ingredients had to be added to the cauldron in precisely the right order and quantities; the mixture had to be stirred exactly the right number of times, firstly in clockwise, then in anti-clockwise directions; the heat of the flames on which it was simmering had to be lowered to exactly the right level for a specific number of minutes before the final ingredient was added.

'A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion,' called Snape, with ten minutes left to go.

Harry, who was sweating profusely, looked desperately around the dungeon. His own cauldron was issuing copious amounts of dark grey steam; Ron's was spitting green sparks. Seamus was feverishly prodding the flames at the base of his cauldron with the tip of his wand, as they seemed to be going out.

At Harry's cauldron Snape stopped, and looked down at it with a horrible smirk on his face.

'Potter, what is this supposed to be?'

'The Draught of Peace,' said Harry tensely.

'Tell me, Potter,' said Snape softly, 'can you read?'

'Yes, I can,' said Harry, his fingers clenched tightly around his wand.

'Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter.'

Harry squinted at the blackboard; it was not easy to make out the instructions through the haze of multi-colored steam now filling the dungeon. '

"Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counter-clockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes then add two drops of syrup of hellebore."

'Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?'

'No,' said Harry very quietly.

'I beg your pardon?'

'No,' said Harry, more loudly. 'I forgot the hellebore.'

'I know you did, Potter, which means that this mess is utterly worthless. Evanesce.'

The contents of Harry's potion vanished; he was left standing foolishly beside an empty cauldron.

'Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name and bring it up to my desk for testing,' said Snape. 'Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday.'

End Flashback

It was so unfair. Sure, her potion had turned out perfectly, so much so that Professor Snape had nothing to comment on it, not even a little praise for it being the best potion in the class, which she was sure it was, but Harry's potion had not been that bad.

Just thinking about Harry brought a blush to her face, and she was glad that it was late and that her dorm-mates where all fast asleep, evidenced by the chorus of snores, so that no one could see how red she was. She hadn't even known the boy and yet they had kissed on the train. It was completely unlike her. She rarely did anything without thinking about it first, and she certainly did not go jumping on every guy she thought might be attractive. Her hand came up to brush her lips as she thought of the kiss that they had shared. He had been gently, but firm, his lips remarkably soft, though she wasn't sure why that surprised her. What really surprised her was the feeling of loss as he had dashed out of the compartment with barely a word and she hadn't been able to bring herself to talk to him till after she had been sorted.

Flashback

'Granger, Hermione!'

Hermione sat down on the stool as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat upon her head. She immediately heard a voice in her head.

'Hmm, a muggle-born eh? Not seen one of you for a long time.'

Hermione froze as fear gripped, she had been found out, and she hadn't even started school yet. What was she going to do? What would everyone do to her when they found out?

'Oh don't be afraid young lady, I won't be the one to reveal your secret. I happen to believe just as you and Dumbledore do. I am excited that one such as you has arrived, for I can see some interesting things here in your head. Unwavering loyalty, an unmatched brain just waiting to be filled with knowledge, cunning and wit that speaks volumes about you and all tied together with the heart of a lioness. Now, where to place you?'

The hat was silent as he considered where Hermione should go. Seconds seemed to take hours, and she felt as everyone who looked at her was judging her, and that even though the hat said her secret was safe, that she would be revealed any moment now. She was sitting stiff as a board on the stool, so it was really no surprise that she jumped when the hat spoke again.

'Aha, now I see it. There is a bond, and such a bond I have not seen for centuries. There is a lucky young man in this school. I know you will figure it out eventually. To help you along, better put you in GRYFFINDOR!'

The hat shouted the last word for all to hear, and everyone not in Gryffindor politely clapped while the Gryffindors erupted in cheers, happy to gain a new house mate. As she walked toward the Gryffindor table, she felt an intense stare and her eyes sought out the source. She quickly found the emerald orbs that were focused so intently on her and she made her way towards him. His friends made a spot for her to sit by them and she went through a round of introductions. She met Ron and his sister Ginny and their older brothers Fred and George. She met Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who apparently had a twin in Ravenclaw house. She met Draco Malfoy, only she was never to use his last name, as he had separated himself from his family because his father was a Death Eater. She also met Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, and she finally, officially, met Harry.

He had avoided her eyes the entire time she was being introduced, but when Ron said his name, he caught her eyes once again. Neither of them moved their gazes an inch, totally fixed on each other. It wasn't until Ron waved a hand in front of Harry's face did they snap out of it.

"Hey Harry, you all right?"

Harry shook his head and looked at Ron, "Yeah, I am fine, just drifting off in my thoughts for a second."

Ron clapped Harry on the back and turned back towards the table, "Well, snap out of it, you don't want to miss all this food."

Draco had been regarding Hermione the whole time with an inscrutable expression on his face, before he turned to Harry and said, "Yeah Harry, seriously, Ron hasn't had food in his mouth since we got on the carriages. He needs to eat something in the next five minutes or he might just say something intelligent."

Everyone within earshot burst into laughter as Ron's face turned beet red and he tried to get out a retort but ended up spraying food everywhere, earning more laughs and some 'Ewws' from the ladies sitting around them.

"So Hermione, how come you didn't come to Hogwarts any earlier?" Harry's question brought the laughter down as the people around them started listening more carefully. It wasn't every day that a student who wasn't a first year was sorted into Hogwarts.

"Well….ummm….," Hermione stuttered for a second, not liking being the center of attention, even though she knew it would happen eventually. Deciding she was not going to fail on her first attempt at telling her story, she took a deep, calming, breath and continued. "My family has followed a long tradition of teaching their children magic on their own. They say that it helps the child grow better. I never questioned this until I was thirteen, and then I started to beg my parents to let me go. At first, they outright refused, telling me it was family tradition that I stay home with them and that there was no way that I could go to Hogwarts. It wasn't until this last summer where they finally allowed me to go. I think that they were hoping that I would go and get tired of it after one year. Anyway, Professor Dumbledore came to my house and tested me on my knowledge of magic and said that it would be fine for me to start in my fifth year, just in time to take my OWL's."

"Wow, I have never met anyone who has been taught at home," Ron said, finally swallowing enough food so that his words could be understood, "What was it like? Were your parents good teachers? Did you have to do essays and tests or could you just do the magic and have fun?"

"I like essays and tests and reading and stuff like that as well as practical magic, so that is what my parents taught me. I think they were excellent teachers, and they obviously did enough to get me ready to take my OWLs, so they must be good. As far as classes, they taught me when I wanted to learn, so we usually studied for five or six hours a day."

Ron stared at her, "You mean you actually wanted to spend time in a book or writing an essay when you could be out doing something much more fun? Why would you want to do that?"

Draco sighed and cuffed Ron in the back of the head, "Just because you would rather eat and play Quidditch more than anything else, Weasley, doesn't mean everyone else does."

"Anyone who has a hope of being normal doesn't willingly spend time in a book," muttered Ron, earning himself another smack on the head.

Harry looked to Hermione, "You will have to excuse Ron, Hermione, we have been trying to figure out some sort of spell that would force him to think before words come out of his mouth."

The rest of the feast they continued on with conversation that, although amusing, really had no depth to it; Taking the mickey out of Ron, bugging Ginny about her obsession with certain, unnamed, boys, how Snape still needed to wash his hair. When Dumbledore finally dismissed them, Harry rushed out, saying over his shoulder how he needed to help the first-years get to the dormitory. Hermione followed Draco and Ron from the table. They hadn't gone far when Draco pulled Hermione into a classroom, shutting and locking the door with a spell. A bewildered Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't get a read on you Granger. Usually I am pretty good at picking people out, but you escape me."

"What? I have no idea what you are talking about Draco. Why did you pull me in here?"

"Because there is something about you that I can tell you are hiding. Now, I don't care what it is, and I don' need to know what it is if you don't want to tell me, but don't keep lying to him, and whatever you do don't hurt him. He's been through enough already, he doesn't need another fan girl. Just, take care of him."

Hermione was shocked. Whatever she had been expecting to come of this, what Draco had said to her was not it. "Wait, what do you mean, don't hurt him? Him who? Who are you talking about? What are you talking about? Draco!"

She didn't get anything out of him other than a knowing smile that left her all the more confused. He unlocked the door and headed to the dormitory. Hermione just stood there, frozen in shock, before she realized that she would get lost in the castle without someone to show her where the dorms where and high-tailed it after Draco.

End Flashback

Hermione sighed; she still didn't know what Draco was talking about, though she might have figured out whom. She shook her head. Too many hours had she spent already trying to decipher Draco's cryptic words about not hurting him and that he didn't need another fan girl. Sure, she liked him, he was a likeable guy who was smart, funny, charismatic, but this didn't feel like a crush. She had made an almost unconscious effort to be near him when she could, integrating herself into his circle of friends. She tried to sit near him in classes and at lunch, and she found herself wandering the grounds by the quidditch pitch whenever he had practice. She couldn't explain it, she just had to be near him in some fashion or she was left with this feeling like she was missing a limb. Then there was the matter of what the hat had said to her. Something about a bond. She had had no idea what he was talking about, and had not yet had the chance to research the difference types of magical bonding. She thought that the hat putting her in Gryffindor might be a clue, but for now, she had no idea. Rolling over in her bed, she closed her eyes, forcing her brain to shut down. She needed sleep, she did not need to be up all hours of the night trying to figure out her…. whatever it was…. with Harry Potter.

Right of Passage

Harry was sitting in the astronomy tower trying to sort out his thoughts and feelings. His classes had been utterly brutal, with more homework than he had thought possible for one being to work through, but that wasn't the most surprising part. The thing that got to him the most was just how easily things seemed to be for him now. Sure Potions had been bad, but he never really excelled at that class, especially with the slimy git breathing down his neck and trying his best to humiliate him at every turn. However, Charms class had been a breeze. Flitwick had them all doing Summoning Charms, which Harry had mastered during the Tri-Wizard Tournament that previous year so maybe Charms wasn't that easy, but the biggest surprise came during Transfiguration. Like all their other professors, McGonagall had lectured them about the importance of their OWLs

Flashback

'You cannot pass an OWL,' said Professor McGonagall grimly, 'without serious application, practice and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an OWL in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work.' Neville made a sad little disbelieving noise. 'Yes, you too, Longbottom,' said Professor McGonagall. There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So . . . today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until NEWT level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your OWL.'

End Flashback

Harry had groaned when he heard that. He had never been that good with transfiguration to begin with, so imagine his surprise when the snail he was supposed to be vanishing disappeared completely with the first wave of his wand! Ron had stared at him bug-eyed for the next few minutes before being snapped out of it by Professor McGonagall calling him out to try and vanish his snail. Draco had frozen in his spot before shaking his head and turning his attention back to his snail. Even McGonagall had seemed surprised, her normally stern expression giving way to raised eyebrows and a falling jaw, even if only for a second.

Then there was Hermione. Whoever her tutor or tutors were they had taught her very well. At the third wave of her wand her snail had vanished completely. She didn't even really appear to have any difficulty with the spell, although she did seem a bit miffed that Harry got the spell faster than her. The weird things was, he could feel almost feel her concentration as she worked the spell. How that was possible he didn't know.

Thinking about Hermione just brought back their moment on the train. He had no idea what possessed him to do what he did but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't change the fact that he had actually, outright, kissed this girl whom he knew nothing about. His brow furrowed as he tried to contemplate what was going through his mind, or what could have affected him to such a degree to make him do something so rash. He briefly considered getting himself checked out for love potions, and just as quickly dismissed the idea. How on earth would she have been able to slip him a love potion? It was the first time he had seen her, right?

Harry was so absorbed by his thoughts that he didn't notice the astronomy tower door opening, or the figure who stepped inside, contemplating the boy silently. Walking forward he walked in front of the boy and knelt down.

"Penny for your thoughts, cub?"

Harry looked up, wondering where Sirius had come from, but not really surprised, seeing as he was a Marauder. They possessed such an intimate knowledge of how to move around the school undetected.

"I wish I knew myself, Sirius. Everything just seems so different this year."

"Well, it is your OWL year Harry; things are bound to be harder…"

"But that's just the thing," Harry interrupted, "It's not that hard! Sure, the workload is huge with all the essays and practice and stuff, but the spells just seem to come easier to me. None of the spells in Transfiguration, Charms, or even your Defense spells seem to be that difficult. That and I seem to be able to feel my magic so much more so than before. It's like, I know where it is inside me and it seems to want to work with me, rather than just be forced to do what I want. I don't know how to explain it."

Sirius sat himself against the tower wall beside Harry with a concentrated expression on his face. He knew Harry had some natural abilities, it was only natural with his parent's having the abilities that they did, but even this was unusual. He too had pushed the fifth years hard, knowing just what they would face in their OWLs, but now that he looked back, it did seem that Harry was able to pull off the spells they were practicing all too easy.

"I think I am the only one, besides the new girl, who was not assigned any extra homework except by the greasy git. It's just not natural. Things never come this easy to me, Sirius, never!"

Sirius smiled at the greasy git reference, knowing all too well whom Harry was talking about. Snape still hadn't managed to get over the fact that one of his biggest rivals was now teaching here along with him.

"Harry, you were born into a family with very powerful magical abilities. Your dad was great at transfiguration, your mother at charms so it, so it only makes sense that you would be good at them too. You also seem to have a knack for my class as well, though where that came from I doubt anyone could really say. I wouldn't let that bother you too much, just keep working at it, especially now that Voldemort is back. As for your new magical sensitivity, have you considered going to Poppy about it? She might be able to help."

They sat in silence for a little while, neither really doing much more than shuffling their feet and looking out at the excellent view that Astronomy Tower provided. Sirius was just thinking about getting up and leaving when Harry spoke again.

"Sirius, what do you know about this new girl, Hermione?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows as he turned to look at his godson. Harry had never really mentioned any girls before that he might be interested in. That he brought up this girl brought a smile to his face and a twinkle to his eyes.

"Harry, there is something that you and I need to talk about. People like to refer to it in many ways, like the Bird's and the Bee's, the Life Cycle, or the Talk."

Harry's eyes went wide when he realized what Sirius was talking about and just where this conversation was heading. "Oh God no, not the Talk. There is no way we are having the Talk Sirius. I have heard too much about it from the other guys in the dorm." Harry grimaced as he thought about the images so "delightfully" for him by the tales of Dean and Seamus. Not something he wanted to be thinking about any time in the near future. "I mean, what do you know Hermione? I know that she is new, and she said she had been taught at home. Other than that, I don't really know anything about her."

"Then you know as much, if not more, than the rest of us, cub. That is basically the information that the staff were told as well. Why do you ask?"

Harry's face went red, and he mumbled something unintelligible as he looked away from Sirius, trying to hide the blush from him, knowing the teasing that was probably going to come his way before the night was out.

"What was that Harry, I didn't quite hear you?"

"I…..maybe…with…..train," Harry replied, mumbling into his knees that were now drawn tight to his chest.

"You did what on the train?"

"I, just maybe, made out with her on the train!" Harry burst out, going a shade of red that would have put Ron to shame.

Sirius threw his head back and laughed at the sight of his godson being so embarrassed before what he just heard registered in his brain. "Wait, you made out with whom?"

"Hermione," Harry's voice was low, and Sirius almost didn't catch what Harry had said.

"How did that happen?"

"We were at the platform at King's Cross, and I saw her trying to get her trunk on the train, but she wasn't having the best of time, so I went over to help her. I put her trunk in her compartment, and the next thing I knew, she was in my arms, with her hands in my hair and my hands around her waist and we were kissing. When I finally realized what was happening I pulled back and pretty much ran from the compartment." Harry once again buried his face in his knees in an effort to make himself as small as possible.

Sirius just laughed all the more as he heard what happened. "Well, did you enjoy it?"

Harry's head shot up at the question, but his reply was still a few moments in coming. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and leaning his head back against the wall, "It was…. nothing short of amazing. I don't think I have ever felt anything so... right. I know I don't have much experience to draw from, but I don't know how else to explain it."

"Harry, there is nothing wrong with kissing a girl, unless you happen to swing the other way," Sirius sniggered and rolled out of the way as Harry tried to smack him, "and I certainly don't see anything wrong with Hermione. She seems smart, funny, maybe a little withdrawn, but all around a good person. You have had so much hardship in your life I don't see any reason why you can't allow yourself a little fun." Sirius stood up and made his way to the door, "Especially since I believe that there is someone out there for you, Harry, and how are you going to find her if you don't start looking." He walked out, leaving Harry on the floor once again with his thoughts.

Someone for him? Harry hadn't really considered that. Then again, why would he, since he spent more time fighting for his life than anything else, it seemed. He just hadn't had time to think about much else. Why can't life just be simple, for once.