Chapter 12

Authors Notes: Hey I'm trying out something new in this chapter, I thought it might be neat to follow things from Hermione's perspective for this one rather then Harry's.

"Hermione." Harry prodded

"Yes Harry?" she replied.

"As much as I wish this moment could last forever, maybe we should go somewhere a little more private then the middle of the first floor Staircase?" Harry suggested.

Hermione looked up to meet Harry's eye, her arms still wrapped around him, not wanting to release the embrace they had been sharing for the last several minutes. Harry nodded toward something behind her. She turned just enough to see what he was gesturing at and immediately understood. A crowd of no less then a dozen students had congregated at the bottom of the stairs and were gawking up at them. Worse then that though, there standing in the middle of the crowd flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, and working his way towards them, was Malfoy.

"Well, well, well, it's finally happened. Got yourself a little Girlfriend Potter?" Malfoy announced nice and loud to make sure the on lookers could hear him. Hermione felt her face flush with embarrassment, she tried to pull away from Harry and slink slightly behind him so as to obscure her crimson completion from view. Harry wouldn't let her though, as she pulled away he took her left hand in his right, clasping it tight.

"So what if I do Malfoy? You're not jealous are you?" Harry quipped.

"Jealous? Of a filthy little Mudblood? Ha, I never thought even you could sink so low as to be bothered with this trash." Draco shot back.

"Careful Malfoy…" Harry said his eyes narrowing

"Are you threatening me Potter? Going to play the hero and come to your little Mudbloods rescue?" Malfoy said as Crabbe and Goyle moved to encircle Harry and Hermione.

The crowd of onlookers had grown to at least 20 now.

"Not at all Malfoy," Harry said turning to look Hermione in the eye, "She doesn't need saving from the likes of you Draco, do you Hermione?"

"No I don't!" Hermione said glaring Malfoy down

"I'm just trying to save you a trip to Madam Pomfrey. I seem to recall the last time you upset Hermione here, you ended up in the Hospital wing with a busted nose." Harry said with a smirk.

"You've always been pathetic Potter, but I never thought even you would dirty yourself with a muggle born scum like Granger." Malfoy started

"Come on Harry lets go." Hermione said, still holding Harry's hand guiding him to follow her up the stairs away from the side show this was turning into.

"You're a Halfblood at least… but if you'd mingle with this Filth…." Draco motioned his Head towards Hermione.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. The Hallway was packed, it seemed as though every student in the school was looking on now. In fact given this weekend was Hogsmeade, Hermione was fairly certain it WAS every student still in the school. She looked to Harry half expecting him to lung at Malfoy with bare fists let alone wands at any moment.

"Harry come on he's not worth it" Hermione said to him.

Draco seemed determined to get a rise out of Harry though, yelling as loud as he could so the whole crowd would be sure to hear him he added:

"….Then your not only Pathetic, You're a BLOOD TRAITOR, just like your Mudblood slumming Father!"

…

Hermione couldn't really explain what happened next. Before she even realized what she was doing she had spun round and clocked Malfoy so hard he had tumbled down the bottom 3 steps of the stairwell and was lying on the floor looking up at her in shock, blood pouring out from beneath the hand he had clenched over his nose.

"Hermione!" Harry called sounding extremely impressed with her.

"I…I don't…" Hermione muttered

"Hey Draco, by my count that's twice she's cleaned your clock now. Ever think maybe you put a little to much stock in that whole blood purity thing… Or is it just you?" Harry shouted down at Malfoy.

"You'll pay for this Potter, and your little Mudblood too" Draco whined as he scrambled to his feet and ran off toward the hospital wing Crabbe and Goyle in tow.

Hermione was still staring down at the spot where Malfoy had landed. The crowd was slowly dispersing. "Hey, Hermione… you alright?" Harry asked putting his arm around her comfortingly.

"Harry… sorry I…I don't know what came over me. I…" Hermione tried to explain.

"I do." Harry said matter of factly. Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Potter's First rule of Hogwarts… Never be on the receiving end of an angry Hermione." He said smiling down at her. "I did try to warn him" He added flashing his eyebrows at her. Hermione gave him a playful swat, "Oh, your terrible!" she said struggling to hold back a laugh.

"Come on…" Harry said, extending his hand to her once more, "I can't wait to see the look on Ron's face, when we tell him he missed you, knocking Malfoy flat on his arse, down a flight of stairs". Hermione took it and the two of them headed back up towards Gryffindor Tower hand in hand.

As they approached Fatilda's Portrait, they found her engaged in a debate with Luna. "My dear, it matters not whether you have the correct password. You are not a member of this House and so I cannot permit you to pass." Fatilda insisted.

"Oh, I see well could you just ask Neville to come out then?" Luna requested
"My Dear I am not…" Fatilda retored

"…an Owl" Hermione and Harry both said at once drawing the attention of Luna and Fatilda.
"Well no she's a painting" Luna said in a dead pan, straight faced sort of way, that only she could.

Hermione and Harry glanced at each other both struggling to restrain their laughter

"I most certainly am not some mere painting young lady!" Fatilda retorted
"Really?!" Luna asked in a tone that from anyone else would be highly sarcastic, but which Hermione knew, from Luna meant she was genuinely intrigued by the possibility Fatilda might really be a Scalliwizzle or something, in disguise.

That was it, Harry burst out laughing. Hermione couldn't help herself, Harry's laugh was too infectious, a moment after he had cracked, she too found herself laughing uncontrollably. "Fatilda…" Harry said between breaths "…you never told me you were a Nargle"

"Oh my… Ha…Harry… st…stop." Hermione managed between giggles.
"Stop what?" Harry asked her in mock disbelief.
"You…Know…Full…Well." Hermione replied punching him playfully in the arm between each word. "Don't forget your first rule Potter" she said grinning at him.

"Oh I don't know…could be worth it." Harry said putting his arm around her, and moving in so close that Hermione didn't think even one of Luna's Nargles could fit between them.

Is he going to kiss m…
The thought raced through Hermione's mind but before she could find out the answer…

"Excuse me" Luna interrupted. Could one of you see if Neville's inside, and if he is will you ask him to come out for me?"
Why now Looney? Hermione thought to herself.
Harry stopped, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly.
Uhhh… Spearmint. Hermione pined silently at what she had just been robbed of.
"No need." Harry said turning to face Luna "You can ask him yourself Luna. We'll vouch for her Fatilda."
I Reeeallly hope I'm wrong about this all being the Amortentia …. Hermione lamented …Or I might have to kill Luna.
"Won't we Hermione?" Harry said.

"Huh? Oh ah, yes… yes of course we will" Hermione answered snapping back to reality.

"It wouldn't matter if the Head of Gryffindor house herself vouched for her, she is not a lady of Gryffindor, and so I can not permit her entry." Fatilda stated a finality in her voice.
"Please lady Fatilda, couldn't you make a slight exception, just this once?" Hermione pleaded with the portrait, feeling slightly guilty over where her mind had just gone. "I promise we wont be long, and she won't leave the common room… will you Luna?"
"I don't see why I should." Luna replied.
"I'll owe you one" Harry offered.

"That would be three you owed me Harry." Fatilda said shaking her head in his direction.
"Three? Hermione half whispered at Harry... confused.
"Ah yeah… Well, I never would have found you last night without Fatilda's help. Then this morning she prevented Malfoy from seeing me exiting the room of requirement right after you did…" Harry responded under his breath.
"Well, seems that's three we both owe you then." Hermione said smiling up at Fatilda

"You spent the night together in the Room Of Requirement?" Luna asked
Hermione's eyes went wide. "Ahh…well… umm, yes but…it's not like you think." Hermione stammered.
"Oh, alright then, because I was thinking that explains you two being in love. But if it's not what I think, then I guess it doesn't." Luna said

"Aah..aah…." Hermione opened her mouth to respond but no words would find their way out.

"I suppose you've always been in love, but if you spent the night together, it explains why you suddenly realize it" Luna said.

"Luna we just talked for a while, and then sort of fell asleep." Harry clarified.

"Oh that's how you figured it out then? Well that makes sense." Luna said

" Oh ho ho ho, I do like you girl, oh go on then." Fatilda said swinging open to allow them passage. Luna skipped inside the common room.

"Perceptive isn't she?" Harry whispered to Hermione, as he took her hand and led her, still gobsmacked at what had just occurred, into the common room behind Luna.

"Luna!?" Neville exclaimed " Oh I'm sorry have I kept you waiting?"

" Yes but it's alright I met a lovely new painting"

"Wait a minute how did you get in here?" Neville asked

" Fatilda, did me a favor" Harry said as he and Hermione came round the corner of the fireplace. "I think she likes this one." Harry said smiling at Luna.

" Ah Harry, things went well then I take it?" Neville asked

" You don't now the Half of it" Harry replied, the two boys both chuckled at this, clearly sharing some inside joke of which Hermione was not aware.

" Is Ron still not up?" Harry asked.

" Haven't seen him come down." Neville answered.

" Ah alright, Hermione why don't you wait here while I go get Ron, then we can all head down to Hagrid's, sound good?" Harry said.

" Ah.. yeah sounds great" Hermione replied as Harry made his way to the stair case up to the boy's dorms. He just had his foot on the first step when Hermione said, to no one in particular " How can Ron still be in bed? it's nearly 1:30 in the afternoon." This stopped Harry dead in his tracks, as if he was just remembering the answer to her query. He looked back at Neville as if asking for confirmation of something.

Neville again chuckled at this. " Don't worry mate, coast is clear, left about 20 minutes after you did." Clearly Hermione had missed something this morning.
" Ah, Right thanks." Harry replied " Be right back" and with that he bound up the stairs.

"You know I haven't seen Harry look that happy in a long time." Neville commented.
"It's because their in love" Luna explained
"Excuse me but I am still standing right here you know." Hermione said to the two of them, blushing profusely. "Besides your wrong."

"What'cha mean she's wrong, have you seen the way he's looking at you Hermione?" Neville asked
"Of course I have, but it's not him, it's the Amortentia." Hermione stated.

"Harry's taken a love potion? No I don't think so" Luna said.
"Think what you like, I know so... I'm the one gave it to him." Hermione said regretfully.

"You gave Harry a love potion? But Why? Thats just not like you Hermione." Neville protested.

"I didn't want to!"
That was only a half truth and she knew it. As much as Hermione would never want to subject Harry, or anyone to the forced kind of obsession in which Harry was currently enthralled, she had to admit she was very much enjoying this little fantasy while it lasted.

"So what then?" Neville asked.

"Well... " Hermione began to explain. " You see, while Harry and I were talking last night he mentioned..."

Hermione wasn't sure exactly what to say. As certain as she was after their lunch, about what Ginny had been doing to Harry over the last few months, she didn't actually have any hard evidence, and she didn't think it right to spread around what at this point was realistically little more then a theory.

"...Well Harry mentioned a very odd recurring feeling he had been having since the start of term. From the way he described it.., well it sound an awful lot like the symptoms of Amortentia. So this morning I whipped up a batch and sprung it on Harry at lunch to see if the effect felt the same to him as what he had been describing last night. Not only did his reactions seem to confirm my theory... but it seems to have worked a little to well" Hermione explained

" What makes you say that?" Neville asked

"Well... right after he smelt it... out of the blue Harry asked me out on a DATE!" Hermione finished, in a can you believe it? kind of tone.

" Wait a minute, you gave Harry the Amortentia at Lunch?" Neville asked her.
" Yeah why?" She replied
"Well I don't now for all the rest of it but the potion is not why he asked you to be his date to the Slug Club Christmas party." Neville said.

" How did you know it was..." Hermione asked in surprise.

" Hermione, I over heard Harry tell Ron flat out he was going to ask you to be his date to the Slug Club Party when he came to pick up his Potions book this morning." Neville answered "So unless you dosed him last night..."

Hermione's Eyes went the widest they had ever been, she stood there frozen in stunned silence.

He... He actually...

...

"Well Ron's not coming" came Harry's voice as he emerged from the archway at the base of the dormitory stairwell.

"What? He's not meeting up with Lavender again is he?" Neville asked.

"No..." Harry replied " He muttered something about needing to have a chat with his sister, when I questioned him about it he said something about extra Quidditch practice and slammed the door in my face.

"A Gryffindor Practice? Today? After we just won last night? and with out you... the team captain? I'm no player so correct me if I'm wrong but that's a bit weird isn't it?" Neville asked.

"Yeah... but Ginny did seem convinced Ron's performance last night was a bit of a fluke, she probably just wants to run him through his paces before his ego gets to inflated." Harry offered. " Well it looks like it's just you and me then Hermione."

Hermione hadn't moved a muscle since Harry'd come back into the common room.

"Hermione... are you alright?" Harry asked placing a hand on her shoulder, his touch snapping her out of her petrified state.

" Ah, yeah..." she said a blissful smile on her face. She locked eyes with Harry and took his hand. " I've never been better."

"Your welcome to join Neville and I." Luna offered

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a great Idea, we were going to head down to the Three broomsticks for a few Butter beers and Lunch... though it's a bit late for lunch now. What do you say the four of us hit the shops in Hogsmeade, and then grab Dinner and drinks there instead?"

"Sure sounds good to me. What do you think Hermione?" Harry asked

"Sounds wonderful" She said.