We talked for a while longer, mostly about Fleur, and Ginny's silly notion that Mrs. Weasley wanted Bill to get with Tonks. Couldn't she see that Tonks was obviously interested in Remus? We chatted until Mrs. Weasley made Ginny go downstairs to 'help' fix lunch. Once Ginny left I got up off the floor and started looking around in the boxes George and Fred had left for the color changing potion. Ron snagged a piece of Harry's toast and began munching on it when Harry randomly spoke up.

"Dumbledore's giving me private lessons this year." Ron choked on his toast and I jerked my hand out of the box, pulling a telescope out with me.

"What?" Ron coughed, trying to swallow the toast.

Harry smiled, looking sincerely sorry. "I only just remembered. He told me last night in your broom shed," he explained.

"Blimey . . . private lessons with Dumbledore!" Ron said, obviously impressed. "I wonder why he's . . . ?" He trailed off and glanced at me - we'd both had suspicions about just what that conversation had probably entailed.

"I don't know exactly why he's going to be giving me lessons, but I think it must be because of the prophecy," Harry said suddenly, in a bit of a rush. Ron and I froze, both returning our gaze to Harry who was determinedly staring at his fork. "You know, the one they were trying to steal at the Ministry."

"Nobody knows what it said, though," I said far too quickly. "It got smashed." Did he know its contents? Had he been told everything and just not trusted us enough to tell us? My heart constricted painfully at the thought of that.

"That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the prophecy," Harry said, as though it was really great effort to speak. " I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office. He was the one the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From what it said," Harry took a deep breath, "it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort. ... At least, it said neither of us could live while the other survives."

No, no! It was my worst fear. Harry would have to face him - have to beat him. Or he couldn't live, they were connected, their very lives were connected. I squeezed the object in my hand in tension, and it exploded in a puff of black smoke.

Why in the worlddid I grab an object that my George had invented? Why had I squeezed it? I waved my hands at the smoke that was surrounding me as my eye flared in pain. A telescope that punches you: ha ha, very funny.

"Hermione!" both Harry and Ron exclaimed from the bed. There was a crash, which I assumed was the breakfast tray, and then I was out of the smoke.

I held the telescope up to indicate that it was what had caused the explosion, and my now no doubt black eye. I sat down on the bed, ignoring the pain that was flaring up in my eye and their insistent inquiries as to whether or not I was okay. "Harry, oh, Harry. . ." I breathed, tension filling me at the thought of my best friend having to fight that dark wizard. "We wondered, after we got back from the Ministry . . . Obviously, we didn't want to say anything to you, but from what Lucius Malfoy said about the prophecy, how it was about you and Voldemort, well, we thought it might be something like this. . . . Oh, Harry . . ." I explained, feeling terrified."Are you scared?" I asked him in a whisper.

"Not as much as I was," Harry answered, looking unexplainably relieved. "When I first heard it, I was . . . but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end. . . ."

"When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person, we thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the prophecy," Ron said eagerly, as though he hadn't just been told his best friend was going to have to fight the darkest wizard of all time. "And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a goner, wouldn't waste his time? He must think you've got a chance!"

"That's true," I said, feeling astonished Ron had noticed something I hadn't. Dumbledore must indeed think Harry could win. "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably. . . powerful countercurses . . . anti-jinxes . . ." The thought of secret lessons with Dumbledore thrilled me. Imagine the excitement of talking to him, of being allowed to ask questions, to actually learn from him! "Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than Ron and me. I wonder when our OWL results will come?" I finished, finding myself once again worrying about the OWLs. I had thought the worry would be over once I had actually taken the darn things. No such luck. Waiting for the results was worse than studying for them.

"Can't be long now, it's been a month," Ron said, staring out the window with worry. We'd both nearly made ourselves sick with worry about the results.

"Hang on," Harry said suddenly, "I think Dumbledore said our OWL results would be arriving today!"

"Today?" I shrieked, hopping off the bed, flailing my arms around in panic. "Today? But why didn't you-? Oh my God! You should have said!"

I ran from the room, hyperventilating and not even caring. I had to get to the kitchen - what if the OWL results had already arrived? I cornered Mrs. Weasley, but she said there hadn't been any owls of any sort this morning.

I was so frantic that I didn't even notice her peering at the bruise on my eye. She sat me down at the table and started casting spells at the bruise. It wouldn't budge.

I was going to kill George.

"This has always worked before, I just can't understand it," Mrs. Weasley said, peering at her book in confusion.

"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," Ginny said, laughing at the idea. Just my luck, it probably had some sort of sticking charm on it. I couldn't go around looking like this! What if George saw me with this ugly bruise?

"You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote, don't worry," Mrs. Weasley said as soothingly as she could.

"Bill told me Fred and George are very amusing!" Fleur said, smiling serenely. Oh my God, she had to see me like this. George and Fred were very amusing, but this was not funny.

Why hadn't the Owls arrived yet? I couldn't just sit here. I hopped up out of the seat and began pacing around the kitchen. This was torture! "Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?" I asked for what must have been the tenth time.

"Yes, dear, I'd have noticed," Mrs. Weasley said patiently. "But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time. . . ."

"I know I messed up Ancient Runes," I said to myself, panic flaring in my chest., "I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back?" Oh what had I done, I'd failed everything!

"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" Ron barked suddenly. I hadn't even realized they'd come down. He was sitting tensely at the table, looking pale. "And when you've got your eleven 'Outstanding' Owls..."

"Don't, don't, don't!" I cried, waving my hands in panic again. I'd failed, I'd failed it all! What would George think of me if I'd failed? What would I do if I'd failed? How could I face McGonagall?

"What happens if we fail?" Harry asked. I answered immediately, thankful for the momentary distraction.

"We discuss our options with our Head of House - I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."

"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur complacently, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then-" She was trying to help, trying to calm us down. The effort was incredibly sweet; pointless, but sweet. I looked out the window as she finished and let out a scream. Threee black specks were flying towards the house. Three OWLs.

"They're definitely owls," said Ron hoarsely. I was already at the window, peering through it in near hysteria.

"And there are three of them," Harry, said, joining Ron and me at the window.

"Oh no ... oh no ... oh no ..." I started chanting, panic claiming me. I couldn't even see straight. My knees were giving out and I instinctively reached out for Harry and Ron. I grabbed their arms as the owls flew toward the window and Mrs. Weasley let them in the room. They each had a large envelope, with our names on them. My hands were shaking so badly that my poor owl was trembling. I didn't know how I got that letter off. I held it in my hands, shaking so bad that the words were just a blurry haze. I managed to force the flap open somehow and pulled the letter out. I unfolded it, almost ripping it in my trembling hands.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Pass Grades
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Hermione Jean Granger has achieved:

Ancient Runes O

Arithmacy O
Astronomy O
Care of Magical Creatures O
Charms O
Defense Against the Dark Arts E
Herbology O
History of Magic O
Potions O
Transfiguration O

I read the paper eleven times, finally finding myself able to breath. I couldn't believe it! I had passed! I had passed all my OWLs! Harry and Ron were speaking, but I couldn't hear them: I was feeling like I was going to pass out again.

"Hermione?" Ginny said tentatively. "How did you do?"

"I - not bad," I said, unable to speak. My voice was constricted and I couldn't decide whether to cry or whoop. I had passed, but not perfectly.

"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding up to me and ripping the results out of my hand before I could object. "Yep ..nine 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at me, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?" I shook my head, but I knew I really was.

"Any more sausages?" Ron asked, smiling widely. I slowly backed away, feeling excited, but still disappointed.

I needed a pick-me-up - I needed to see George. Yes, I'd go find him. Maybe Mrs. Weasley would let me take the Floo to Angelina's and then we could go to the shop together. Lee even lived in her building, surely with the three of us she'd let us go…

Couldn't hurt to ask anyway.

Mrs. Weasley was reluctant, just as I'd anticipated, but she couldn't come up with a good argument. I was too well prepared for her arguments. She finally relented, agreeing to let me go if I could get Lee and Angelina to come with me. Heck, I might even talk Alicia into coming with us - she and Lee were dating. I sent a message to Angelina on the Galleon and she responded that she'd love to go with me to the shop.

I ran up the stairs to Ginny's and my room before going through my clothes. What would I wear? I finally decided on a dark green blouse and jeans. I tied my hair back in a ponytail and stared at myself in the mirror. The bruise was still there. Urgh, I guess I'd just have to try and see if Fred could remove it; maybe I could get to him before George saw me.

Decision made, I grabbed my bag and headed towards the fireplace. I grabbed the powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"95 Diagon Alley!" I bellowed before throwing the powder down and disappearing.

Thanks to a ninja goldfish for beta reading this!