Chapter 15

studying chemistry

After crawling through the portrait hole, being cautious not to disturb the sleeping Hermione in his arms, Harry made straight for the couch in the gryffindor common room. He quickly discarded Hermione's backpack next to his many things scattered across one of the side tables, hearing the many contents rattle around inside. Carefully laying the sleeping woman on the couch, he considered waking Hermione so she could go to her own room, but decided against it. Harry was also not dumb enough to attempt to get her into the girls dorm given the many security measurements they had in place. Granted, it may be of use to ask George how he and his brother always managed to sneak in there without being detected. For, future reference. But for now, Harry was deteremined to let Hermione sleep the night away next to his arm chair while he studdied.

Settling into the chair, he noticed how Hermiones multitoned curls had sprawled across the red fabric of the overstuffed old couch arm and how the pillows gave slightly at the curves of her body. His thoughts drifted and soon he was replaying the scene in the hall in his mind,

"What did Malfoy mean, may the best man win?" Harry was consumed by this thought, surely the blonde menace didn't think he stood any chance in winning Hermiones favor? Mind rushing to many different conclusions, The boy who lived quickly decided to put all thoughts of blondes in general out of his mind. Harry was certain that the only competition he would ever have for Hermione's affections was indeed a red head.

Glancing over to her sleeping form once more, Harry watched as she curled into herself, tucking her hand under her cheek and curling her fingers around her curls. Slowly rising from the chair, Harry used the accio spell to summon his chudley cannons throw blanket from him room and gently draped it over her, careful not to cover her face. Harry could distinctly remember how she would get a mini anxiety attack from the blankets covering her face back when the golden trio had all stayed at the burrow a few summers back. Gently moving the curls out of her face, Harry settled himself into the arm chair beside her and waited for sleep to come, given the thoughts churning around inside his head and the position he was in, it was sure to take some time though.

Morning came quickly, much to the student's disappointment. The first ones down to the common room were none other than Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. The two were dressed to the nines as usual, both wearing different colors of the same dress, which obviously meant that Padma, Parvati's twin sister was wearing the same dress in a third color. This is how the girls did things most days, if an item was available in three or more colors and was something they all liked, they would get it together. But this was getting much more difficult to do since Lavender was the only one who maintained her form this summer, she worked hard to remain at her perfect size 3. The twins however each gained about 20lbs over the past few months and Padma was now a size 7, with Parvati a bit smaller at a size 5. As far as Lavender was concerned, they just weren't twins anymore. The pale purple dress, the color of her name sake, hit just perfectly in the center of Lavender's tanned thighs and She loved the way it floated around her waist like she was still a child.

Skipping through the common room, Lavender came to an abrupt halt when she noticed both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger just waking up in front of the fireplace. This wouldn't be fairly unusual and normally Lavender wouldn't give it a second thought, Tons of students passed out with their friends while studying. But what caught Lavender's attention most was the air of intimacy surounding these two, given the random potions books and various scrolls and parchments spread among them, it would appear they had just been studying last night. However, She wasn't no newbie in the ways of love and she could clearly see that there was chemistry between these two just by the way they glanced at each other.

"Interesting", Lavender thought to herself as she continued on her way out the portrait hole. Making a note to herself of how Hermione had been sleeping with Harry's blanket of which Ginny had given him for christmas this past year. She would be speaking to the spiteful redhead and inquiring weather or not the daily profit had in fact been correct about the two members of the golden trio. "If they're an item, it would definately mean Ronald is still on the market." She gossiped to Parvati on the way down to breakfast.

With the portrait hole closed noisely and the gossip girls gone, Hermione stretched her tense muscles and tried her best to remember how she had gotten back to the common room from the library last night. Considering it just best to ask Harry outright, she uncovered herself from beneath his blanket, folded it neatly and sat indian style in the center of the couch, loooking curiously in Harry's direction.

"So, I clearly fell asleep while studying again" Hermione laughed and pulled her massively messy curls into a haphazard bun on the top of her head using one of the many hair ties she kept on her wrist.

"Thanks for coming and getting me, again, and not waking me up. Heaven forbid i get caught out past curfew so early in the school year." She energetically thanked Harry.

Adjusting his glasses and moving to sit beside her on the couch, Harry sat his hand on her knee and looked at her with slight concern before yawning out his half mumbled response, "Actually Hermione, It was Malfoy who brought you back. The guy carried you all the way here, bookbag and all." , Stretching and standing up to right his clothes, Harry continued, "I wasn't aware that you two were so close."

Hermione stiffened a little at the on slaught of information she just recieved and quickly tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "I wasn't aware that we were either, curious, I guess i will owe him a thank you then as well." Standing up herself, She adjusted her tshirt to cover her midriff, taking clear notice that Harry had seen the star tattoo on her stomach.

"I thought you said i wouldn't be able to see your tattoos" Harry teased, Gathering up his belongings and heading towards the boys dorm.

"Well, There is a time and place for everything." Hermione pointed out, scooping up her bag and pressing herself by him gently to get to the stairs of the girls dorm. "But who's to say you will ever get to see the rest?" She teased back as she poked her tongue out at him and bounced up the steps two by two and out of site.

Quickly, Hermione grabbed a fresh set of clothes from her school trunk and ducked into the bathroom. Let her knotted hair fall down and looking into the mirror she grabbed for her tooth brush and spearmint toothpaste. Brushing her teeth like a crazy person and losing herself in her reflection, Hermione was truely confused as to what she was going to do, There was definately something between her and Harry. She wasn't a fool. However, She was awfully curious as to what there could be between her and Draco.

Spitting and rinsing her mouth, Hermione turned on the shower and stripped down before stepping inside, letting the heat of the water relax the tension from sleeping on the couch away from her sore back. Thinking to herself now , "I know Harry so well already, But i hardly know Draco at all." Hermione then remembered the diary he had given her in the hospital wing. She had kept it safe in it's velvet box hidden in the bottom of her trunk, perhaps it was time to take another peak inside.