Chapter 2- Where do we go from here?

Sitting in the Common room, Harry watched Hermione sip on her butter beer and study the Maurder's Map. Harry thought about how well he knew Hermione, and how he never really looked at her, well outside of speaking to her. He thought back to their second year when she had been in the hospital wing, and he spent hours with her, it was then he realized how pretty she was, and that he thought about how much he truly cared for her. She was his family. She worried about him, cared for him and loved him. He knew that without her and Ron he would still be all alone, even dead, or worse hanging out with Malfoy. He thought about all the things his two best friends were willing to go through for him, and how he knew how much the cared about each other. Harry took one last look at Hermione and his decision became final.

"Hermione, will you go out with me?" He said firmly with more confidence than he expected, also as more of a statement than a question.

"Sure, Harry just let me grab my cloak." Hermione closed her book concealing the map and went to drink down the rest of her butter beer.

"No, not outside, I mean will you, be my girlfriend, I would like to go out with you." This time he was even firmer and looked direct at her. He wondered if maybe they should have gone outside, people were staring in their direction now.

Hermione's eyes widened and she spat out her butter beer. "WHAT?" Hermione's hand flew up to her mouth, as she looked at Harry in disbelief. Hadn't he been listening to her for the last few hours? She has opened her heart to him about Ron and he was asking her to be his girlfriend. Hermione looked around the common room, if people weren't looking before they were now. Two people very key were also paying attention. Hermione's mind began to work, as if she was trying to solve another one of the trio's great mysteries. Harry just looked at her, strong willed and determined. He hadn't even bothered to wipe the butter beer off of him yet, he couldn't afford to break eye contact with Hermione or he would lose his nerve. Hermione's brow was fiercely creased and she began to chew on her bottom lip. "She is defiantly thinking." Harry thought to himself.

"Hermione, its not an arthimancy question. Quit thinking so hard." He said softer this time, now noticing the pack of girls watching Hermione like wolves, as if she was a particularly tasty rabbit.

"Scrougify!" shouted Hermione, a bit louder than she meant to.

"Thanks, now about the question. It's a simple one isn't it so no more of your lip biting, hand wringing, or brow furrowing. Hermione I have already told you tonight how important you are to me." Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the portrait hole.

"A bit late to be going out isn't it?" Asked a disgruntled Ron through clenched teeth.

"As if it were any of your business Ronald!" Shouted Hermione now turning on him.

"Well I'm a prefect aren't I? So it bloody well is my business."

Lavender who seemed torn between catching the latest gossip and returning Ron's attention to her clasped her arms around Ron's bicep, which Hermione noticed although begrudgingly had become very toned since he first made the qudditch team. "Ruddy quidditch!" she thought to herself. That's what started all this mess. She had known she held some sort of feelings towards Ron, and when he had invited her to come to the World cup they were confirmed. It was that year following the cup when she had met, befriended, and dated Viktor. The source of many of their more heated rows. Ron being on the team prompted her boldest move yet of kissing him on the cheek. Confunding Cormac, Harry's stupid potion row, this evening's festivities... She was awoken from her thoughts by an irate Ron.

"Hermione, Harry I don't know what you are on about, but I want to know what's going on." Ron said so what he hoped was only the three of them could hear.

"Honestly Ronald. Not everything Harry and I do concerns you. Actually, quite a lot of what we do will undoubtedly have nothing to do with you." She said as though the light of realization had gone off in her head. "I am sorry I was so rude Harry, you were quite honest with me this evening and the only logical answer to your question is yes." She said with a very heavy breath. Then without looking at Ron she continued to say. I am very tired and once again sick of Ron at the moment. And for the first time, I do not care what it is I have done!" She turned on her heels and headed up to the girls dormitories not bothering to gather her things.

Harry swallowed, looked at Ron who was now an uncharted shade of red. He knew what he was doing, of course, but did Hermione. If his plan worked then they couldn't hate him forever could they. Harry quickly gathered his and Hermione's things from the room and headed off to his bedroom.

"Harry." Ron said with a bit of pleading in his voice.

Harry stopped at the end of the staircase with his back still turned on Ron. Looked down at his feet and turned slowly around to face Ron. Ron swallowed hard and took a few of his long strides over to Harry.

"Yeah?"

"What did you ask Hermione, Harry?"

"Ron half the common room heard us, I know you did too."

"So, you and Hermione then?"

"I guess yeah. Not that it matters to you." Harry said in a very matter of fact tone. Harry knew that they had just had this conversation not an hour ago. And he saw that Ron to had caught on.

"Oi, Potter! of course it matters we were going to the slug club party together weren't we?" Ron said looking both triumphant and angry at the same time. At that moment he heard a high pitched giggle and looked over his shoulder towards a giggling Lavender and Pavarti who were looking longingly over at the two boys bouncing every few seconds and whispering.

"Well I mean as friends, she never said it was more than… well anyway it does matter you're my best mate, and that Vicky of hers is a mate of yours isn't he?"

"What exactly are you saying Ron?"

"Nothing, just rubbish so yeah you and Hermione."

"Yeah, Hermione and I." Harry finished as he looked past to see Hermione approach them. Her timing in these situations is uncanny. He thought to himself.

"Yes Ronald, Harry and I, its nice to see someone else around here cares about their grammar. Thank you for grabbing my things Harry. I didn't mean be so careless. If you could please open my potions text, something inside the front cover belongs to you. I had fully intended on staying upstairs but, seeing as it is quite important, thought it would be best to keep it safe."

Harry opened the book to reveal the Maurder's Map and quickly tucked it into his robes. He then handed Hermione her things and she stood awkwardly looking down at her shoes.

"Well then goodnight Harry." She said quite sheepishly and turned again towards the girls dormitories. Only this time she had to push her way through several death glares from her classmates who seemed to be figuring out the current details of the Harmony situation as it was quickly coined. Really, the way rumors fly so quickly at this school. Hermione thought to herself.

"Right, looks like Lavender is waiting."

"Right."

Harry took the stairs to the dorms and Ron walked back to the overstuffed chair Lavender was saving for them. He looked across the room at Ginny who was ignoring and oblivious Dean Thomas. Dean sat very close to her arm around her waist conversing excitedly with Seamus. Ginny's eyes followed Harry's retreating form up the stairs until he was out of sight. Then she turned them on Ron. He looked back at her, she seemed as upset as he was about this recent Coupling. But he wasn't upset not about them being together only the way they were going about it is all. He was a free agent after all.

Hermione sat up in her bed curtains pulled tight and rocked hands clasped tightly around her knees. She looked down at a page of a book at her feet, not typical studying material for Hermione, but lately it hadn't been. The last few days she had been "studying" this same book. Although if she were to admit it, it was usually with a bit more happiness and excitement than tonight. The page she was currently reading over, held pictures of her, Ron, and Harry in the sitting room of headquarters. She was in the middle of this one. Ron and Harry had their arms draped around her shoulders and her arms were around each of their waists. She especially liked this picture because the Ron in the photo would sometimes look at her. His eyes would look at her while his head remained forward and he had his trademark lopsided grin plastered across his face. Harry was smiling too, something he rarely did anymore. She continued to flip through her photo album, full of both muggle non-moving photographs and the wizarding ones. She giggled a bit at a picture of Ron in his dress robes from fourth year. They were horrible but, Hermione would have given anything to have been beside him in this picture dress robes or not. Viktor had been a gentleman the entire night she had truly enjoyed the Yull Ball up until her not so private row with Ron. She thought back at how obvious she had been. He simply had to know how she felt about him, he just wasn't interested in a bossy, nagging, muggleborn, like Hermione Granger. I mean why were they friends other than their mutual connection with Harry? Harry, Merlin what was he on about, go out with him? And why had she said yes? Next minute her dorm room door swung open with giggling and squeals that she could defiantly deal with not hearing. Hermione shoved her album under her pillow and tried to sleep.

The boy's dorm was still in full swing when Ron made his way up to bed. Dean and Seamus were playing some sort of muggle strategy card game Dean had brought to school with him. Neville was caring for his pet plant more tenderly than he had ever looked after Trevor, and Harry was in bed curtains drawn. Not that this was unusual for Harry to be secluded like this, but Ron couldn't seem to figure out why he would be brooding now. I mean he had just landed himself a witch hadn't he? Not just any witch either mind you he had their witch, Hermione. Ron sat on the edge of his four poster bed and stared at his bedside table. It wasn't at all tidy on his side of the room, but he kept this area fairly neat due to its frequent use. He causally changed into his pajamas and laid his wand in front of the framed photo. The picture his mother had given each of the trio this summer. Harry had put his photo into the photo album Hagrid had given him first year along with other photos he had accumulated throughout the last 6 years. Ron looked at the photos that sat next to it one was of him and his family on their vacation to Egypt before the start of 1st year another of the Weasleys plus Harry and Hermione at the Qudditch World Cup. Ron noticing the Victor Krum posters in the background of this photo slammed in hard face down unto the small table. Ron then noticed the curtains on Harry's bed rustle a bit; Ron then took the the photo of the trio into his hands and examined it closely. Seemingly decided about something he too pushed this photograph face down unto the table. Ron slept