"Hey, 'Mione." Harry sat down in his usual seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "I never got your last-" Hermione shot him a warning glance as Dean sat down, shortly followed by Parvati "...page of History of Magic notes." Harry improvised.

"I'll give it to you in the Common Room before Potions." Hermione hinted, hoping Harry would pick up on wanting to spend their morning break together.

"But Hermione, your bag is right-"

"I'm OUT of BACON!" Ron cut off his sister, his first words after having eaten both his and Seamus' shares of breakfast foods. Thankful for the cover of Ron and Ginny's squabbling, Harry and Hermione resumed their chat.

"Sorry about not answering you last night, I had to study." said Hermione, her Ancient Runes book propped against her glass of pumpkin juice as usual, as she had been reading before Harry came along.

"You are completely mad." said Harry. He took the book from her and put it in his bag. "You're the most brilliant witch at Hogwarts, probably in all of Britian, if not the world. Please, just relax! We haven't spoken in ages!"

Hermione grumped. "Aren't we speaking just now?" but she was trying to mask her smile from Harry's compliment.

Harry loved her face. Everything from her exasperation with Quidditch to her bright, beautiful smile when she laughed, everything about her was perfect. Even during their first year, when she did happen to be remarkably annoying, there was still a certain quality about her that Harry really liked. It may have been her focus on things that made her brow crinkle in the cutest way, or even her bushy brown hair that somehow just looked right on her. As an eleven-year-old, Harry couldn't quite place his feelings back then, but when he finally realized Hermione was more than just a friend to him, she felt the same way. Now she was all his, and they were extraordinarily happy together.
Keeping it a secret was the only downside, though. Sure, it added a little more romance with the sneaking around, late-night owls, and stolen kisses, but they both just wanted to hold hands and be together like normal people.

However, the reasons they simply just couldn't were endless. The press, for one. Hermione couldn't care less what Rita Skeeter or some other bitchy reporter wrote about her, but Harry was much too protective of her to let that happen. It was bad enough when Malfoy or someone else with no respect for anyone other than himself called her 'Mudblood'. Harry had always managed to keep his temper, but had gotten revenge later on. Malfoy's cauldron had melted? That was no accident. Pumkin juice splattered on his robes? A simple levitation charm with a flick of the wrist from across the Great Hall. Sure, it wasn't the most honorable thing to do, but it was better than Ron's immediate reaction to Malfoy by way of violence and curses.

Ron was the only person who knew about Harry and Hermione. He had found our by accident over the summer. They were all staying at The Burrow, and Mrs. Weasley had given Ron the job of cleaning out the chicken coop while Harry and Hermione were to be cleaning the upstairs. Harry had had so much practice with Muggle cleaning, they finished in no time. The couple decided to take advantage of Ron's currently empty room, and had spent at least half an hour holding hands and kissing, which Harry certainly wouldn't have felt comfortable doing with anyone else. With Cho, it had been awkward and nerve-wracking, but with Hermione it felt like the most natural thing in the world. She loved the romance of their intertwined fingers, and he loved the feeling of her lips pressed against his, their bodies close enough that he could feel her heartbeat as if it were his own. Nearly breathless with their passion, and forgetting that they were in a house with 7 other people, things began to heat up. Their hands were no longer clasped together but roaming around each other's bodies when Ron pushed the door open, bad-tempered and covered in chicken feathers.

"BLOODY FUCKING HELL, YOU TWO. OF ALL THE PLACES TO SNOG EACH OTHER, YOU CHOSE MY FUCKING BEDROOM? WHAT THE HELL, MATE!" The yelling was mostly directed at Harry, because Hermione had sat down on Ron's bed, looking as though she had been petrified as a steady blush crept across her face. Once Ron had gotten over the initial shock of finding his best friends making out in his room, he realized something else.

"Why were you two snogging in the first place? You aren't...oh Merlin..." Ron sank down next to Hermione. "Ugh," he grimaced, "As long as I don't find you two in my bed or anything." So, this was yet another secret between the three best friends.

They had a very difficult time keeping the secret from Ginny, though. Hermione was all for treating her, it would have made their summer a lot easier, but Harry flatly refused.

"What's going to happen when Ginny tells Luna? Or Dean?" Seamus he didn't mind quite so much, as he WAS dating Ron, but still. It was one of the only things Harry and Hermione ever really fought about, and it still was nowhere near the bickering Ron and Hermione still did sometimes. Harry and Hermione's brief squabbles always ended in snuggles and kisses, something Ron was definitely not interested in. Nonetheless, the trio was very happy together.