Hi guys!

After the excitement of the last chapter I'm not sure how happy you will be with this, but I actually kind of love it. I love when James and Hope are all hot and passionate, even when they are passionately arguing – because it is blatantly a sign of something more significant which will come!

To my lovely band of loyal reviews, I love you – please do not stop. I will keep writing for you guys as long as you're interested, probably even after ;) I love this story and I am so excited about where it still has to go!

SexiiLexi – You deserve to rejoice in the number of reviews I reach, after all you kicked started off my reviews for which I will be eternally grateful!

Vanillaberries – I'm glad you liked the build-up to the kiss, there will be a few more coming up before 'the big one' which I've had planned out in my head since about day 1 of writing this story!

Lynnnnyl – You're quick review made me gush with happiness, you keep me motivated to want to keep writing as quickly as I can!

Sexichick – I totally thought of how excited you'd be that they finally kissed while I was writing the last chapter, so in a way I guess it is dedicated to you and you're constant hope that they would finally do so.

To everyone else, include all the people who've add this story to their favourites or had asked for notifications when it is updated, it means so much to me so thank you!

However you didn't come here to hear me rabbit on, so all that is left to say is Harry Potter sadly isn't mine and on with the story!

Hope's POV

By the next day Sky and Mia had heard all about the exchange, although everyone seemed to take it as an unspoken rule that Michael should not know.

I tried to argue with Mia during potions that this was just silly. It was mistletoe, it wasn't even a proper kiss.

'Oh come on Hope, you know Michael's jealous of James – especially of how close you guys have become recently. And we all know Jay is hardly his biggest fan either. It is just easier for everyone involved if you just tread lightly around the issue.'

I sighed, I guess she was right.

'I still don't get why Michael is so jealous of Potter. I've asked him and really he just says something stupid about how similar me and James are and how he sometimes worries he can't compete with that. I mean honestly how crazy is that…me and James, similar?'

Mia ran a hand through her short brown hair before shrugging and saying, 'Oh I don't know you and James do have a lot of interest in common. I mean you both love transfiguration and muggles studies, you're both obsessive quidditch nuts, you both love Fred, you both get a kick out of arguing with one another…'

I rolled my eyes at her logic. Yes James and I had those few things in common, but it wasn't much. We had far more differences than similarities and I said as much. I pointed out we have totally different work ethics, different approaches to life, apart from quidditch we really didn't even have any hobbies in common. I like to read, he likes to blow stuff up with Fred. Really we are just totally different people. But of course Mia had a come back to my argument!

'You're not different where it really matters though. You both love your family and take pride in where you come from, you're both loyal to a point where it is really just stupid, your both born leaders just in very different ways, you both enjoy teasing the people you care about and you both pretend to dislike the other a lot more than you really do.'

I tried to retort to that but she held her hand up to stop me.

'Look I'm not saying Michael is right to feel threatened, I mean you don't like James as more than a friend do you?'

I couldn't believe Mia had asked me that, how long has she known me! Seriously!

'No of course not, James and I…we're just friends, nothing more.'

'Ok, well Michael might be wrong to be jealous but it does stand to reason. I can see how you and James would make a sort of sense as a couple.'

'I suppose, but Michael and I do too.' I pointed out in a slightly defensive tone.

Mia just smiled at me and said, 'Yes of course you do, I know that Hope. And I know you really care about him.'

James POV

'What do you think Mia and Hope have been whispering about for most of the lesson?'

Fred shot me a look which implied he'd strangled me if I asked that question once more.

'For Merlin's sake James I don't know. Just like I didn't know the time before when you asked me, or before that, or the time before that, or the time before that. I just don't know ok? If I magically work it out before the end of the lesson I will tell you ok? Now shut up and stop asking me before you annoy me so much I decide to hex you so your pecks become breasts.'

I laughed and shut up and tried desperately to focus on potions. I really did. But my eyes kept involuntarily moving to Wood's table. Merlin she was beautiful, how could I never have really seen it before?

It turns out that kissing her was not the way to get over her, in the past sixteen hours all that has happened is my need for her has just intensified by about a million times. It was becoming a bit of a problem.

I didn't know what I was going to do about this long term, but I think short term I was going to have to find Violet and let out some of this tension in an empty classroom.

This Yule Ball was not going great. Violet was pissed at me, she said I'd spent too much time paying attention to Wood, speaking to her, dancing with her, and just generally choosing to ignore Violet for her. I suppose Violet has a right to be pissed , it would be wrong of my to get angry at my date for being angry at me for spending too much time paying attention to someone else's date.

She just looks so amazing though. Hope isn't much of a girly girl usually, so seeing her actually making an effort to look so is just mind blowing. She is stunning in her royal blue dress robes with her hair pulled up high in a clip, with little whisps of brown hair cascading across her face. And her blue eyes are just even more stunning and sparkling because the colour of her dress really emphasises them.

Not that she isn't always stunning, she could wear a bin bag and still somehow be beautiful.

Oh man what is happening to me? I'm becoming one of the stupid, sappy fools I usually loathe!

And to make matters worse she just seemed so bloody happy with Michael. And why wouldn't she be? They'd been together for nearly two months, they had intellectual conversations, he never teased her...he seemed to offer her everything I couldn't and I felt inferior next to him. She would never chose me, I wasn't good enough for her, of that I was sure.

I looked around for Fred to see if he was ready to leave, but when I finally spotted him I noticed he was dancing with Sky. Despite my current state I couldn't help smiling to myself for two reasons:

One -Sky looked so much like her endearing self that I'm amazed not everyone was a little in love with her in that moment. She had on multi-coloured dress robes and she wore daisies in her long blonde hair, the combination just made her look so open and friendly that I couldn't really understand why more people weren't flocking towards the warmth and kindness she was giving out.

Two – I felt a little better just by seeing how close Fred and Sky really were, could tonight finally be their night? I hoped so, some of us have to have a happy ending and be with the people we want to.

To be honest Fred deserves to be with Sky more than I deserve to be with Hope. After all Fred has had a thing for Sky for over two years now and I was also almost sure he was in love with her.

If there is one thing I am sure of it is that I am not in love with Hope. But yet I couldn't drown out the voice in the back of my head that seemed to echo the word yet at the end of that thought.

No that was it that thought was the last straw, I most certainly had to get out of here. I went to leave but when I reached the doorway I couldn't help scanning the room to see if I could see her. She was nowhere in sight and I wasn't sure if I was relieve or disappointed by that.

Hopes POV

What a lovely evening. Michael had been the perfect gentleman and he'd even been pretty laid back about me dancing with James. Certainly more laid back about it than Potter's latest bit on the side. Plus it was amazing to see how close Sky and Fred were becoming. Seeing the two of them that close on the dance floor was perfect.

Michael walked me to the portrait hole to say goodnight. He was staying at the castle over the holidays, so this was really the last chance we had to see each other for the next couple of weeks. Therefore our goodbye was slightly longer, not to mention more heated, than usual.

Michael started by kissing me sweetly on the cheek and then slowly moved his lips along my jawline until he caught my lips with his and out tongues started the familiar dizzying dance I'd only ever experienced with him.

Suddenly my mind flicked back to last night and my small kiss with James and I couldn't help a small niggling thought about whether his tongue in my mouth would have had this effect on me too, but the thought quickly vanished as Michael deepened the kiss.

His hands had slowly slide around my body, one cupping the back of my neck so he could kiss me more easily, the other going to the small of my back to bring my body closer in line to his, before moving lower to cup my behind daringly.

When we pulled away for air he still didn't stop his assault on my skin. His lips moved to my collar bone and he placed light feathery kisses along it slowly.

My head was spinning and my body felt like it was on fire. Michael had never gone this far before, he was always the perfect gentleman. I'd never before thought I'd like it move past those sweet, timid, wet kisses we shared – but now we had I couldn't helping wondering why we'd been so reserved with each other up until this point.

I couldn't help the small moan that escaped me as his hand softly ran up my side and his thumb flickered ever so slightly to skim across the side of my breast.

My mouth sought out his once again and just I was pulling him closer towards me I felt Michael's whole body pulled away from me with such a force that he tripped a little and I stumbled forward, disorientated due to losing his body's support.

I looked up to see what the hell had just happened to be met by the sight of Potter holding Michael tightly by his collar.

'What the fuck Potter?' Michael shouted angrily, pushing Potter away so he could be released from the death grip he seemed to be trapped in,

'I could ask you the same thing, what the hell were you doing practically shagging in the hall way? I can tell you what I am doing, making sure Wood doesn't make a horrible mistake by fucking you tonight that is what the fuck I am doing!'

'JAMES!' I shouted angrily, both embarrassed, confused and fuming at his outrageous behaviour.

'Please Wood, it is hardly appropriate behaviour for a prefect is it…no wait two prefects.' James spat back. He was angrier than I'd ever seen him before.

This was silly though, me and Michael practically shagging? Yes we were a bit heated and perhaps we shouldn't have let it get that far out here in the open, but seriously what planet did Potter live on? He did far more x-rated things with girls outside classrooms waiting for lessons to start. In fact I'd heard rumours that last year he'd done something far more sexually inappropriate to Lisa Speck in the middle of a bloody Divination lesson – I couldn't prove this though as I refused to take such a wishy washy subject.

'Get a grip Potter we were just kissing a little. Besides even if I was shagging her what is it to you? She is my girlfriend and not yours after all…and pray do tell, how the hell do you propose to keep her from fucking me if she wants too?'

James went really red at that and before I had really processed what was going on he'd charged at Michael, but Michael in return was ready and immediately rose to the challenge. Before long both boys were full on fighting, in the true muggles sense of the word, using their fists and legs to cause harm to the other.

I was shouting at them both to stop when something blasted the two of them apart. I turned to see Professor Longbottom standing there with his wand out, with a look of mingled disbelief, disappointment and fury.

'May I ask what exactly is going on here?' he bellowed.

This was certainly a new side to Neville, usually he is just so jolly and light – but tonight I could see just how much power he could really yield if he needed too.

James' POV

Well this night has certainly sucked. The plan for the evening had been to have a laugh and crack some jokes with my friends, especially Fred, to get laid by Violet, cleverly undermine Michael in front of Wood and be ever so charming to her – that way ensuring she slowly started to fall for me instead of him.

In reality I spent most of my evening scowling and Hope and Michael, Violet didn't shag me – in fact I think she dumped me, and I certainly didn't undermine Michael. No I started a fight with him instead, then had to sit there and listen to a half an hour 'talking too' from Neville, and to top it all he took 50 points from Gryffindor and made me feel terrible by saying he'd never been so disappointed in any student.

Oh and now it appears Wood isn't talking to me. She got that look on her face and seems to be deliberately keeping a distance between us. Just as we reached the portrait hole however it appeared silence was no longer good enough for her. just as the Fat Lady was asking for the password, she turned to glare and me and demanded to know exactly what I had been think by attacking her boyfriend.

'Me, what the hell was I thinking? What about you – going at it in the hallway for all to see? You're a prefect Wood you shouldn't be acting like that...I mean do you really want to be one of those girls with a reputation?' I asked bitterly, biting my tongue to keep from confessing that I didn't want to think of her doing anything with any other man that wasn't me.

She shot me her best I wish you'd die look and said darkly, 'What a reputation like all those girls you sleep with?'

What was that supposed to mean?

'There is no reason to bring my personal life into this, I was looking out for you. Jeez next time maybe I won't bother!'

'Oh Merlin for goodness sake, you can be all up in my personal life but I can't bring yours into it? Double standards don't you think? Especially when you shag about a million girls all over the place – and I can't even kiss my boyfriend without you literally butting in!'

'Please Wood you're twisting everything around!' I said, half angrily but also half pleadingly. I needed her to understand that I really was trying to help her.

'No I really don't think I am. Oh and you're damn right next time don't bother trying to help me. I can live with your kind of help thank you, it isn't wanted, asked for, or appreciated. Especially not when you act like the way you did tonight!' She snapped at me.

Then she turned on her heel, muttered the password and stormed into the common room.

I dived in after her calling her name, wanting to fix whatever had gone wrong. Only it turned out everyone we both knew in Gryffindor house was waiting up for us, worried about why both of us were missing.

'Where the hell have you two been? We were starting to get really worried.' Roxanne snapped.

However her initial anger seemed to fade when she saw the look of pure fury on Wood's face. Roxy then seemed to catch on.

She turned to face me before saying, 'What the HELL have you done now James?'

'Nothing.' I said defensively.

'He bloody assaulted my boyfriend for kissing me goodnight, that's what the prick has done!' Wood burst out.

'Oh please, just kissing you goodnight? He was copping a proper feel at the same time! For Merlin's sake Hope you were two steps away from doing something you'd regret with him!'

'I would have thought you'd be happy about my sexual development Potter. What was it you said when I caught you and Edith on the train on the first day of term? Oh yeah, what would I know about shagging, then something about how I needed to get a boyfriend and loosen up – and how if I shagged someone once in a while maybe that would happen and then I'd get of your case?' she spat back at me, although I noticed she was starting to look slightly teary.

Oh man I was not sure I could see her cry and not touch her, hug her, kiss her….I had to make this better, I had too.

'You said that to her?' Fred asked staring at me angrily.

'You told my sister to shag someone so she'd leave you alone?' Ollie asked, looking at me as if I'd just pulled the rug out from under his world. I suppose I had, after all he really looks up to me, but the he is stupidly close and protective of Hope.

'Well yeah I did, but I didn't mean it. And Wood and I had worked past it, well I thought we had.' I said feebly.

Hope just looked at me and shook her head sadly before saying, 'Yeah I often think we've worked past a lot of things, but then here we are again. I can't believe how you acted tonight James. It isn't ok, you know that right? You can't just beat people up….and I expect you to apologise to Michael. If you want us to be friends you will remember in the future to stay out of my personal business and under no circumstance act so violently in front of me again. Really James, I thought such behaviour was beneath you. Every time I think I've got a handle on you and I start to believe you're this really deep, sensitive, caring guy…you just turn around and find a way to throw it back in my face.'

A strange look past over her face and her eyes stared into mine and in that instant I knew I wanted her to know me, all of me. I wanted her to understand why I am the way I am – I wanted her to want to see what was beneath my exterior. And I wanted to see beneath hers, I wanted to know why she put up so many defences, why someone so loving could also be so guarded…I just wanted us both to understand the other and to finally work out the root cause of our disagreements.

'I'm sorry.' I blurted the words out before I'd even considered what was coming out of my mouth.

She nodded and said, 'I believe you. Just start acting like the person I think I see in you.'

With that she turned and headed to her room and I realised there were quite a few angry eyes staring at me.

Oh great, the holidays are already off to a brilliant start, half my family are pissed off with me and the other half will be when they hear about tonight's events from the others tomorrow.

I couldn't help feeling a little resentful towards their judgemental attitudes as I thought that Christmas will be a fun event this year.