Title: Beyond Friendship

Chapter Ten:

Authors: Jaycee and Marga

Note: This is Jaycee. Merry Christmas everyone!!! Hope everyone will have fun on this wonderful day… and that we all get the gifts that we want. (Please God, don't let anyone give me another notepad holder ever again.) So… here we have chapter ten! Yay! But guys… you owe us five more reviews – we asked for 150, right? And you gave us 146 – okay… so that means you owe us four, but one of those reviews' from me – so that doesn't count – all right? Now…. As a Christmas gift, can you guys give us hmmm…. 175 reviews? Please? We promise we'll post chapter eleven as soon as the 175th review is in. That chapter is already finished so… I'm keeping this promise. :)

We're sorry about the wallpaper – something's wrong with my website, but I'll transfer the pictures and the wallpaper in my geocities account, all right? The pictures will probably be up before the year ends, a little patience my wonderful dearies, all right? I made about ten screen caps… and one "Beyond Friendship" wallpaper. So you guys won't be disappointed, k?

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! We really appreciate it – maybe if we play our cards right, we might reach the 200 review mark, huh? Oh we hope so…

And also, thank you to everyone who informed us about H/Hr Fanfics (we're reading camp muggle story – thanks!) and about HP and the Order of the Phoenix. Hopefully, it will be released soon, huh?

Again, merry Christmas everyone!

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"Hey Hermy." Hermione looked up and saw Viktor smiling down at her from his bed inside the Infirmary, where Madam Pomfrey ordered for him to stay and rest for two whole weeks, until she's sure that all of his bones have healed perfectly.

"Hey. You're awake." She said, smiling and closing her Potions book.

Viktor nodded. "How's your studyeeng going?" He asked in his thick foreign accent.

"Good. How are you feeling?"

"I'm vine. You don't haff to vorry avout me." He said gently, and then leaned over to grasp one of her hands in his right one. "Thank you so much vor staying vith me."

Hermione looked down at their joined hands and then back to Viktor's face. "You are more than welcome. And besides, I promised you that I will stay with you here, remember?" She explained softly.

Viktor nodded and then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Did I ever tell you that you are the vest thing that has efer happened to me?" He whispered, looking deeply into her eyes.

Hermione felt her heart stop beating as Viktor said those words. But no matter how hard she tries; she can't seem to stop herself from thinking about HIM. She can't seem to stop Harry's face from popping in and out of her thoughts.

She closed her eyes briefly and then pasted a smile on her face. "No. I don't think you've ever told me that." She replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Vell, you are. And I am so lucky that you agreed to ve my girlfriend." He confessed.

Hermione blushed at his words and then went back to gazing at their joined hands.

"How are 'Arry and Ron? I haven't seen them since the match." Viktor commented after a few minutes of silence.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "Why-why do you ask?"

"Vell, its jus' that vhenever you write to me, you alvays tell me stories about Ron and 'Arry. You've told me a million times that you are more than happy that those two are your vest friends. So how come I haffen't seen them vith you this whole veek?" He inquired.

Hermione sighed. "I haven't been hanging around with them that much these last few days. Something… something happened three days ago between Harry and me." She started, feeling nervous at the fact that she's about to tell Viktor everything.

"Did you two haff a fight?" He asked, concerned.

"Something like that. But I am just so afraid of telling you, but I know that I have to tell you or you might find out about it through someone else and then you might get angry at me for not telling you and…"

Viktor placed a finger on her lips to stop her from going further. "You're babbling Hermy. Jus tell me vat's going on." He told her gently.

Hermione was about to tell him everything when Madam Pomfrey entered and started bustling her out of the room. "Come on Ms. Granger. Mr. Krum needs his rest. You two can continue your conversation later." She said in a firm voice.

As Hermione kissed Viktor on the cheek and gathered her school things before exiting the Infirmary, she wasn't sure if she was happy or not for being interrupted by Madam Pomfrey before she told him the truth.

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"'Mione! How are you?" Hermione heard Ron's voice say as soon as the fat lady portrait swung open and revealed to her the Gryffindor Common Room that night.

She grinned. "Ron. Hey." To her surprise, Ron stepped forward and grabbed her for a brief hug. "What was the for?" She asked as he led her to a chair.

Ron shrugged embarrassedly and sat in front of Hermione. "I missed you. We both missed you." He told her seriously.

Hermione looked away at her friend's words. She smiled a little and tried to lighten the mood. "You missed me? You can't miss someone who's constantly breathing down your neck to do your homework." She jested.

Ron frowned. "You know what I mean, Herm."

She sighed audibly. "I know Ron. I missed you too. And I'm sorry if I haven't been with you guys for a while. You know that Viktor is in the Infirmary and I am his girlfriend…" Hermione tried to explain but she was cut off when she saw Ron start shaking his head.

"I know what happened, Hermione. I know that… something happened between you and Harry." He informed her, looking a tad bit uncomfortable at what he is saying.

Hermione blushed at the memory. "Harry told you." She said it as a statement, not as a question.

Ron nodded. "Yeah."

A moment of silence passed by them and Ron was again the one who spoke. "You two have to talk."

"I know. But I'm just not ready yet." Hermione told him.

"This can't be fixed if you two don't talk."

"I know. I know all of that. But I can't talk to him until I've told Viktor about everything." She informed him.

"You're going to tell Viktor?" Ron asked incredulously.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "You actually think that I won't tell Viktor about what happened? Our relationship is not going to work out if I keep secrets from him!"

"You want your relationship with Viktor to continue? But what about Harry?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but closed it immediately when no words came out. "Harry? What about Harry? What does he have to do with my relationship with Viktor?" She asked, although she was feeling a little doubtful about her feelings towards her present boyfriend.

Ron looked at her, confused. "I just thought that maybe… well… you kissed him back didn't you? That must mean something!" He pointed out.

"I don't know Ron. I am just so confused right now! I don't know what to think, or what to feel! That thing with Harry happened so suddenly – and until now, I don't know if I like him in that way too, or if I should stay with Viktor… I don't know Ron. Please help me! Please tell me what I should do." Hermione said imploringly.

Ron leaned over and grabbed both of his friend's hands and gazed at her. "I can't tell you what to do, 'Mione. It's all up to you. You have to decide this all on your own. But I can tell you one thing."

"What's that?" She asked.

"He's willing to wait. And whatever you're decision will be, I know that all he really wants is for you to be happy. And whether you decide to be just friends with him, or if you decide that you want to be with him, I know that he'll still be with you, no matter what happens." Ron said sincerely.

A big smile, bigger than any grin that she has shown over the past days, appeared on her face at Ron's words. "Really?"

"Really. Harry just wants you to be happy. I'm sure of that." He assured her as he gently released her hands.

"Ron! There you are! I've been looking for you! We need to do our Divination homework and I…" Harry stopped talking as soon as he saw whom Ron was with in the Common Room.

Hermione looked at Harry and felt herself blush furiously. "Harry." She whispered.

"Hermione. Hi." Harry said softly. Their eyes met and locked for a while, until they heard Ron clear his throat.

"What were you saying, Harry?" Ron asked.

"We need to do our Divination homework." Harry said vaguely, his eyes still locked with Hermione's brown ones.

Hermione was the first one to break away. She looked down and slowly stood up. "I'll leave you two boys alone. Bye." She said softly and went to the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory.

"Bye." Ron called out, looking at Harry and beckoning at him with his eyes to do something.

Harry shook his head and sat down on the chair.

"Do something, Harry!" Ron hissed.

Harry looked at Hermione's retreating back. He took a deep breath. "Hermione!" He called out.

Hermione turned around slowly and looked at him curiously.

"I missed you." He said gently, telling her the first thing that popped into his head.

Hermione smiled a little. "I missed you too." And with that, she was gone.

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