A/N: Hi folks :D

Just like I said, the last chapter was a prologue to this one, so here you have... Harry's confession to Hermione, with small surprise, I hope you don't mind :D

And I know that there is a little cliff hanger on the end, but well... Sorry for that :D

Please, leave your reviews after reading :D

Cheers

Sight-of-better-future

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

Harry looked again in Hermione who was walking next to him. According to his and Cassie's plan both of them were going to Three Broomstick (Harry was very glad that Cassie hadn't chosen Puddifoot, he had bad experience while being there), while his aunt would be keeping Marauders far away from there. He glanced on the rest of the group. Remus was still holding Cassie away from Sirius, who put James in front of him as a shield.

"What are we going to do at Hogsmeade?" he heard Hermione's voice and turned to the girl again.

"Well, I thought that we… erm… can go to Three Broomstick together." He answered, little nervous.

"I'm sure that they would be happy hearing that." Hermione said, smiling and glancing on the rest of their band.

"No, Hermione, I mean just the two of us, you and me, without them." Harry added quickly, blushing like mad. He had never done it in Hermione's presence before.

"Oh…" Hermione glanced on the ground, hiding the blush. She knew that something was going on, because Cassie as much as insisted her to wear something nice and wear make- up (done by Lily since Cassie alone didn't have any idea how to do it correctly).

"If you don't want to, we always can…" Harry, not much surprise here, interpreted her behavior in wrong way.

"No, Harry, I would love to!" she stopped him before he continued and smiled on him broadly. "Really, that's fine. Not that it will be the first time when we are alone somewhere…After all we are friends, right?" she added, looking on him.

"Yeah, friends, right…" Harry said, smiling on her little sad, however he tried to hide it. Maybe it was all she was seeing them, as friends?

"Yeah…"

Cassie overheard their short conversation and almost wanted to hit them both… very hard. She knew that her job was to keeping marauders away, but now she wasn't sure if leaving the two alone would be best idea, since both of them were pretty dense when it was coming to their mutual feelings. She thought deeply, forgetting for a moment about her killing intention to Sirius. She would need help. Too bad that Lily decided to stay in school to finish her homework. She was needed here now! Cassie looked on Marauders. James and Sirius were out from her list, they would made some sort of comedy of this. So it only left one guy, gladly the responsible one. She looked on Remus next to her. She stopped walking, stopping him as well. When he caught her look, he eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes?"

"You have to help love to blossom!" Cassie answered dramatically, successfully leaving him speechless.

"Pardon?" he managed after a second.

"You have to help me." She answered

"With what?" he sighed. The ideas of both twins never ended good.

Cassie yanked his head down by his tie, almost suffocating him. When his ear was near her mouth, she whispered.

"Harry is supposed to confess Hermione today."

"Well, that's… good."

"Yeah, but they both are playing like they are too scared to look at each other!" she pointed her finger on the couple ahead of them who was still sneaking glances on each other and blushing ceaselessly. Remus looked on them and sighed. He had this idea where it was going to.

"What do you want to do?"

"Nothing much, you just have to keep Sirius and James away from Three Broomstick at least for a two hours."

"And what you are going to do at this time?"

"Make this two chickens confess their love to each other and allow them chances to produce little James in the future."

Remus looked on her strangely.

"I think you wanted to say little Harry."

"No, little James."

"But it's Harry and Hermione we are talking about."

"Yeah, but if they have a boy and he will have Harry's look and Hermione eyes, the little guy will be perfect imitation of James."

"If you say so…"

"Yeah, I say so, now, can you do it?" She looked on him with the best puppy eyes she could made (borrowed from Sirius by the way) and he sighed again.

"Ok, I think that I will be able to manage something."

Cassie screamed quietly in joy and hugged him.

"Oi, Moony, what are you doing with my sister?" they heard James from few meters ahead.

"Don't you see? He is snogging me senseless in the middle of the path to Hogsmeade with professor McGonagall behind us"

"Cassie!"

"Miss Potter!"

"Shut up, James! Sorry, professor…"

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

Way too soon Harry found himself and Hermione standing outside the Three Broomstick. He was nervous, really nervous. He glanced on Hermione and saw that she shutters a little and took it as a cue to move inside. He opened the doors and moved aside.

"Ladies first." He said with smile and she answered the same.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" Hermione said, moving inside and looking around. There weren't as much people as there used to be, since it was just the beginning of the trip. Most of the students were in other shops right now, so it left Harry and Hermione almost alone in the bar.

"Shall we take a seat?" Hermione looked at him and Harry nodded.

"You go and I will ask for some butterbeer." He smiled and moved to the Madame Rosmerta, who were standing behind the counter.

Hermione sat at the table near the wall. She glanced on Harry talking with Madame Rosmerta, not rally knowing what to think about the situation. She thought that he would like to spent the day with Marauders, as it was their first, and maybe last, trip to the Hogsmeade in the past. So when he said her that he want to be alone, she felt pang of hope. She remembered Cassie's smirk and looks on her when she had came back to dormitory the day before and saw her talking quietly with Harry, before she had started to running after Sirius. Hermione smiled. She couldn't not thinking that both of them, her and Harry, were definitely closer now than they used to be. She really liked it. And there was a slightly change in his behavior also. He was more… happy and easy-going, she could say. She had never seen him laughing so much as he was with Marauders. She was glad for him. Really. Hermione knew that he wanted to meet his parents so much like nothing more in his life.

Hermione furrowed her brows. He had told her that he want to talk about something with her. Maybe… no, stop! 'I don't want to give myself false hope.' She though. Maybe he just had some plan about Voldemort and wanted to look at them with her before heading to Dumbledore? But he could always do it in common room, no need to going out…

"Here you are." Harry said, cutting her thoughts and handing her her butterbeer. "Deep in thoughts again. You will never change." He smiled on her, sitting opposite.

"Well, someone has to be the one with brain here, you know?" she answered, taking sip of her butterbeer.

"Very funny, Hermione, very funny." He said, poking his tongue and taking a sip himself.

They talked for a some time about changes which they saw between the times, school, Marauders, Lily, Cassie.

"Do you miss the rest?" Hermione asked after a moment of silence, looking on him.

"The rest? You mean Ron?" he looked on her, standing his glass on the table.

"Ron and Cho." She clarified, playing with her own glass.

"Oh… You know that I miss Ron, after all he is my best mate." He answered truthfully. "But I'm very glad that you are here, not him." He added after a moment.

Hermione blushed slightly on this.

"I-It's nice to hear it." She smile shyly on him. "And what about Cho?" it was really important matter.

Harry sighed. This would come out sooner or later.

"My relationship with Cho was not the best one." he said, thoughtfully. "You know that she wanted all the time talk about Cedric, his death. I understood it, by it was… too hard for me. You see, I want to have girlfriend with whom I can talk about everything and who would understand when she should push me to talk and when give up."

"Maybe she would come along one day…" Hermione kicked herself mentally. Why the hell she was defeating Cho Chang?

"No, I don't think so." Harry shook his head, almost sadly. "I think that Cho just isn't the one who is meant to be with me. And especially with her jealously about everything… it was just over helming."

"It surely wasn't that bad." Hermione took his hand in her and squeezed it slightly.

"Yes, it was." He smiled looking on their hands. "Come on, Hermione, she was even jealous about you, my best friend." Harry was sure that the big flower standing next to them called him a "moron" at that moment.

Hermione face felt a little. So, after all, he was thinking about her like about a friend. She should know it…

"Something wrong, Hermione?" Harry looked on her closely.

"No, Harry, everything is all right." She managed to smile on him, seeing the worry in his green eyes. "I just… have to go to the toilet, you know." She smiled and stood up.

As soon as Hermione disappeared around the corner, going to the rest room, the flower hit him hardly on the head.

"What the…!"

"You bloody idiot!" Cassie came from behind the flower, glaring on him. "And you were doing so good!"

"What did I do?" he looked on her, massaging his head.

"' Come on, Hermione, she was even jealous about you, my best friend.'?" She mimicked him saying this. "Please, Harry, I'm not surprised that she is so sad."

"But why?"

"Because she thinks that you don't have feelings to her and you think about her only as a friend!" Cassie explained impatiently to him, looking for something in her pocket.

"I didn't say it!"

"You did."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No, I didn't"

"yes and be quiet." Cassie snapped on him, silencing him. She handed him some shit of paper. "Here, read it and say it to Hermione."

Harry took a paper and scanned it. Then he glanced on Cassie like on crazy person.

"Where did you get it?"

"From some magazine." She shrugged her shoulder. "Now, think that I'm Hermione and say it to me."

"What? No way in hell that I will ever say something like it!" Harry opposed fiercely, looking terrified.

"Parker, do it right now!" she glared on him with her blue eyes and he knew that he didn't have any turn away. So he started…

"Hermione, You're the last thing on my mind at night. You fill every dream I have. You're the very first thing I think of when I wake up ... and you'll never know it. I miss you when you're gone. I miss you when you're sitting so close to me and I can't touch you. I miss you when you smile that smile at me. I miss not having you in my life, even when everyday you are. I want you…"

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

Hermione looked on herself in the mirror, sighing. She hadn't been crying, no way. But she felt a little pain. And it was all her fault. She was the one who gave herself a false hope. So now she had to deal with it. She glanced one last time on the mirror and walked out from the bathroom.

When she came closer to their table, she saw that Harry was saying something, rather embarrassed, to some girl with long brown hairs. What Cassie was doing there? When she went near them, she could hear what exactly Harry was saying.

"…like you'll never know. I want your entire heart and soul. I see your face, I see your heart. I want your love, I NEED your love.. I know you're not looking for someone to love. But, I don't understand; I don't understand why it has to hurt so very much when you laugh, when you get so close. I don't get that. I don't know how to move on, I don't know how to let myself live without you. I just don't know! I just want a day when it's just you and me. I just want a day when my heart can sing true. I pray to Merlin every day that you'll tell me that you want me the same way I want you. I beg every day to an unseen force that you will one day be mine."

Hermione gasp and felt tears in her eyes. She could see how Harry's eyes widened when he saw her and his terrified expression. Well, why wouldn't he be terrified, he just confessed his love to his own aunt. But she wasn't the only person who was surprised.

"Parker, what the hell?" she could hear Sirius' voice behind her. The Marauders just show up.

Hermione looked on Harry again, who had his eyes glued to her. He looked so… almost adorable, that she couldn't stop herself. She just mumbled some apologized under her breath and run out from Three Broomstick.

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

Harry was watching Hermione's back as she run away from the bar. He still wasn't even sure what happened. One second he was reading Cassie's stupid speech, then suddenly Hermione was standing behind Cassie shocked and Marauders decided to showed up. It was just too much.

"What the hell happened here?" he heard James' angry voice and turned to him. "What do you think you are doing by confessing to my sister?"

"I-I…"

"You were in love with Hermione!" Sirius shouted, glaring on him.

Harry didn't even know how to explain it.

"Everyone shut up!" Cassie screamed, successfully earning attention of the whole bar, not only her friends. "Harry, you are out after Hermione." She pointed on the door and he stood up quickly.

"No, he is not, he has to…"

"He has to explain everything to her, James Harold Potter, now sit and shut your damn mouth for a second so I can explain everything!" Cassie shouted on him and all Marauders sat on the chairs standing next to the table.

"What are you doing here yet?" she shouted on Harry, who snapped from his stupor.

"I will be back soon."

He run away from the Three Broomstick in the search for Hermione.

"I thought that you would keep them away?" Cassie asked Remus, who looked on her apologizing.

"They put two and two together, I couldn't stop them."

Cassie sighed and took place taken before by Harry and started to explain everything to two angry marauders. She had this stupid feeling of guild…

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

Harry looked around the Hogsmeade, thinking where Hermione would run away. Then it hit him. Shrieking Hat, that was her favourite place! He run there.

Just like he expected, she was standing there, alone, looking on the hat deeply in thought. He sighed with relief, the easy part behind him. Now…

"Hermione…" he said quietly, walking closer to her. By the way her backs stiffened, he knew that she heard him. "Hermione, please…"

She turned to him, fake smile on her face.

"Oh, hi Harry. Sorry that I run away like that, I just needed some air..." she said, trying to act like nothing happened. Harry looked closely on her.

"Hermione, what you heard…" he started again.

"You don't have to explain, Harry." Hermione interrupted him. "I understand, just like people are saying, you can't choose true love." she laughed, well, at least tried to but falling miserably

"It's not…"

"Really, I understand. It's not your fault that you fall in love with your own aunt." She shuttered. "Even if it sound that bad…"

"Hermione, let me explain…"

"Harry, you really don't have to. I understand, really, it could happened to everyone…"

He looked on her strangely.

"You could fall in love with your uncle?"

"Well, no really…"

"That's my point! I…"

"Harry, I'm sure that no one will judge you because of it."

Harry almost growled. Why she had to be so much stubborn?

"I think that I should go to the…"

"HERMIONE!" he shouted, finally silencing her. "Now let me finally say something." She nodded her head, surprised by his scream. "Thank you."

He took her hand and lead her on the bench, standing not far away.

"You see, this whole trip today was going to help me tell you something." He said when they sat."No, don't interrupt me." He added when she opened her mouth. "Yesterday I had conversation with Cassie, thank to which I realized something. I never really thought that it would be possible, but she told me what to look at, and now I can clearly say it. Hermione, I wanted to tell you that…"

"Harry, I know, you love…" she interrupted him again.

"You!" and he also interrupted her, silencing her finally. She blinked on him.

"But…"

"Cassie and I decided that I should take you on the date to confess you my feelings. But then I messed up, calling you only my best friend, and when you went out to the bathroom, this crazy woman almost jumped on me, called me bloody idiot and then gave me this stupid speech, ordering me to read it. So I did, to keep her quiet, and then you came out, together with my dad, Sirius and Remus, and… it all was even more messed up."

Hermione blinked few times on him, processing what he say. He loved… her?

"But I thought…"

"Yeah, I am aware what you thought." Harry smiled. "Really, the idea of me loving someone who looks like my dad is rather… sick."

Hermione couldn't stop her smile. Now when she was thinking about it…

"But, to the point." Harry said again, biting his lips nervously. "You see, I have this feelings for some time now. I just didn't exactly realize it, until yesterday. And it's just like I said: I love you. I don't think that I would be ever be able to live without you in my life. You are the only person who never left me or let me down. Even when Ron turned away from me, you stayed, with your radiating smile, making everything looking better. Only thanks to you I survived last year. And it's not only this. It's everything about you. Your voice, touch, mind, personality… for me everything about you is perfect. And if… if you don't feel this same, I understand. Really. If the only thing which you can offer me is your friendship, I will accept it gladly." He finished, looking on the ground.

"Is it what you want? Friendship?"

He looked up on her. She had tears in her eyes, and was smiling on him.

"No, I want something more." He answered, looking her straight in her beautiful eyes.

"That's good. Because I want it too." She said and kissed him on the lips. She didn't have to wait long on his response. Harry pulled her closer to herself, enjoying their kiss very much.

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

"You wrote this?" Sirius asked, holding the paper in his hand. He wasn't sure rather to be amused or horrified.

"Off course not, don't be stupid." Cassie snapped on him, snatching paper from him. "I took it from this stupid magazine for some stupid teenage witches."

"You are teenage witch."

"But I'm not reading this crap. Really, the columns about "My first time…" or "How to make wizard from your dreams fell in love with you."… please, I would never read something like that." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I hope so." James said, glaring on her. After he found out that Harry didn't have any romantic feelings to his sister, his mood brightened up.

"How did it came into your mind anyway?" Remus asked her.

"I don't know, ok?" Cassie sighed tiredly. "Right then it looked like great idea… I hope that I didn't messed up too much between them." She put her head on the table, guiltily.

"I think you don't have to be worry about it." Sirius said with smirk, pointing to the door.

They all turned on the direction. Harry and Hermione just came into the Three Broomstick, holding hands and smiling at each other. They neared to the table where four students were sitting.

"So… how was it?" Cassie asked rather nervously, looking from one to another.

Hermione glanced on her and smiled.

"I think that quite good." She answered

"Really?" Cassie looked on her with hope. Maybe Lily wouldn't kill her anyway.

"Yeah, thanks to you this bloody git finally confessed."

"Yes!" Cassie stood up, shooting her arms in the air. "I'm the Merlin!" she earned few amused glances from the people in the bar and laughter from marauders, but didn't care about it.

"Congratulations anyway!" she jumped and hugged Hermione with all her might.

"Cassie, I know that you are happy, but I would be grateful if you stop killing my girlfriend." Harry said with a smirk, making Hermione blush a little.

"Sure, no problem." Cassie smiled and before he knew what was going on, he found himself enable to breathing because of Cassie's bear hug.

"Little help here!" he managed to say over her head to Marauders, who were laughing at them.

"No problem, mate." Sirius laughed and without standing he reached over and yanked Cassie by the belt of her jeans, taking her away from Harry. She, not expecting it, lost her balance and landed straight on his lap, blinking puzzled.

Sirius blushed and the rest, yes, together with James, surprisingly, roared with laugh on it. Both teens blushed, but before would stood up, she found the wand point on her face. The rest of them was in that same state. Her eyes travelled up the arm holding the wand. Black cloated figure… Death Eater. Oh shit…

"Well, it looks like my son found himself a nice girlfriend. Bella was right after all." Sirius paled and hold Cassie closer to him. No it couldn't be… his father? But why…

Harry moved his arm around Hermione's waist to protect her in case one of the Death Eater presented in the bar decided to curse them. But it looked like at the moment their minor target were Cassie and Sirius. They were in so big trouble. Harry could hear people running away from Three Broomstick, terrified about their own lives, only to be stunned when they neared the door. They gulped.

"It's so shame, Sirius." Orion Black continued, looking on his oldest son from behind his mask. "I always thought that you would find yourself some nice pureblood girl with straight priorities."

"My priorities are pretty straight, thank you. As long as Voldemort is as far away from them as possible, I'm happy." Cassie glared on him, not able to hold her tongue back, like always.

"Shut up, stupid girl!" Orion screamed and pointed his wand on her, but before he would cast anything, Sirius quickly stood up, showing Cassie behind him. Now the tip of his father wand was pressed at his chest.

"Leave her alone."

"Now, son, you know that it will not finish in good way." Orion said, not lowering his wand "You have last chance to choose correct side and join Dark Lord."

Sirius looked behind him. He still had his arm around Cassie's waist, holding her behind his back. He caught James' eyes and nodded. Sirius pushed the girl slightly in her brother direction, so his hands were free. When Cassie landed on James, he used the moment when all Death Eaters' eyes were on Sirius who moved closer to his father, to quickly put his sister wand from her pocket and handed it to Remus. He managed to do it in last second when one of their enemies pulled Cassie away from him. James glanced on the bar. Most of the people there were stunned or hidden themselves in the fear. When he caught Harry's eye, he nodded his head to him.

Harry managed to put Hermione's wand from her pocket, hiding it in his robes. He was glad that most of the attention was on Sirius, because he could quickly look on Remus, who nodded to him. There is no way that Marauders would go down without fight.

"I will never join Voldemort, father, no matter what you or mother will say." Sirius said, looking straight at his father.

"Good then." Orion Black said through his clenched teeth. "You signed the death of your friends right now." He nodded to the rest of the Death Eaters. "Kill them all, Potter girl leave for the Dark Lord."

Before any of the Death Eaters were able to perform Avada Kedavra, the students decided to take lead in their hands. Cassie quickly kneed person who was holding her in rather… painful place, and he loosened his grip on her, while Remus stunned him. Harry in the same time perform bonding spell on the one next to him and Hermione. When the three of the remaining Death Eaters cast few different spells on the students, James shouted

"Protego Maxima!" the shield created before students, also separating Sirius from his father.

"Well, we could expect it from Potters kids, wandless magic." One of the Death Eaters, Sirius was almost sure that it was Malfoy's father, said, glaring on teenagers. "But it won't last forever. When…"

He was cut short when Cassie pointed her hand on the wall and screamed.

"Deprimo!" the wall exploded, leaving a hole leading on the street of Hogsmeade. It also give them a cover from the dust.

"Run before shield disappear!" James shouted and pushed Hermione and Harry through the hole, himself, Cassie, Remus and Sirius behind them.

They run on the street, coughing the dust from their lungs. They looked around. People were running around, screaming in the fear. They saw other Death Eaters on the street. Hermione took her wand from Harry and pointed on the destroyed wall.

"Reparo!"

"I don't think that Madame Rosmerta will be angry because of the wall." Sirius commented.

"Maybe not, but it will give us few more moments before your father and his folks will get us." She answered.

"Duck!" Cassie shouted suddenly, jumping on her and taking her on the ground with her. The beam of green light went through the air where just a second ago Hermione had been standing. Harry knew this curse way too well. The Killing Curse.

"Pertificus Totalus!" he pointed his own wand on the Death Eater who performed the curse sending him on the ground. James moved closer and snapped the man's wand in the half.

"I think that we should go away from this place." Remus said, pointing on the wall of Three Broomstick.

They all nodded and started to run. When they reached the middle of the village they stopped suddenly. On the ground were many, much too many bodies, death or unconscious, they couldn't say. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand. They could see few bodies in Hogwarts' robes. The Marauders and Cassie felt like their blood boiled. They could see few of their friends lying there.

"This son of the…" Sirius started but before he could finish, they all felt the coldness feeling suddenly the air…

Harry's head shoot up to the air. He could see them, flying in their directions. Dementors.

**HPHG****HPHG** **HPHG**

A/N: I'm not sure about Sirius' father beeing a Death Eater or not but well... it just fit for me, so please, deal with it :D