Thanks for all the kind reviews. I'm so happy that people are reading this and enjoying it. Sorry for the slow updates, I've been having writer's block.

Chapter 36 - Inside

Ginny was the first into the common room. She looked around for Harry but no sign of him. She turned around and bumped into Hermione who came into the room a minute later. "Ouch," Hermione rubbed her head, "what? Why are you turning around?"

"Harry's not here," Ginny frowned. Hermione looked over Ginny's shoulder and noticed a few 1st and 2nd year students but no Harry. "I don't see Ron either," Hermione bit her lip. "Check the boy's dorms?"

"Why would they be in there?" Ginny grunted. At that moment, Ron entered the room with his broom in his hand. He was grumbling under his breath about being horrible. "Ron where's Harry?" Ginny asked him. He looked up dazed.

"Dumbledore," he answered, "he wanted to tell you both but you had run off somewhere." Ron shot Hermione a disappointed look as he walked to the couch to sit down. He threw his broom down scaring the first years. "It was something about special lessons."

"Damn it," Ginny threw her body next to her brother. Hermione sat down gently on the other side of him. "I guess we tell you then. I wanted both of you to hear," Hermione sighed, "Ron; we went to the room of requirement."

"And what?" he shrugged. "And we bumped into Draco and company," Ginny told him.

"What were they doing in there?" Ron sat up attentively.

"I think Harry heard more on the train and didn't tell us," Hermione said slowly. "Do you think, Ron, that's its possible he might be a death eater?"

"What? Why would this make him a death eater? What did you girls hear?" Ron was now in a panic.

"Relax Ron," Ginny held her hand out to grab her brother's robes. "We didn't hear anything, we interrupted them, but it didn't seem like it was a good thing."

"Right, it was suspicious how they were nervous and then angry when they discovered it was us," Hermione added.

"Harry did tell me something," Ron said darkly. "Remember when you told me that you think Harry didn't tell us everything?"

"That was just a few minutes ago Ron," Hermione told him trying not to laugh, "of course I remember. What is it?"

"He told me that Draco was going on and on about having the dark mark but that he couldn't show it off," Ron said.

Hermione could feel her anger rise. "Why didn't he tell me?" she shrieked.

"Calm down," Ron said, "he told me this just today because he didn't see Draco on the map. And well, I didn't believe him so he told me this."

"Where was I?" Hermione asked sharply.

"With Ginny, this all happened recently," he told her. "Look, it doesn't matter, you know now. Harry is going to come back and tell us why he was called to do privet lessons with Dumbledore."

Neville walked by the couch and his ears pricked up. "Harry is with Dumbledore?" he asked. Ron turned around and was glad it was Neville and not someone else like Seamus. "Yes," Hermione answered Neville. "It's not a big deal." At least I hope not, she thought.

Neville looked troubled as he walked away into the boy's dorms. An hour or so later, Ginny was curled up on the couch like a cat while Hermione read a book. Ron was playing Wizard's chest with a third year student who wanted to learn how to play. The portrait hole opened to reveal Harry walking inside with a tired expression.

"Harry!" Hermione cried as he walked in. She closed her book and walked over to him. "I have something to tell you," she told him. He waved his hand at her in a greeting and said, "I have something to tell you too."

"What is it?" Ginny asked walking behind Hermione. From the back of the common room, Lavender was looking at Ginny with a sense of hate in her eyes. She was sitting with Romilda Vane. Lavender tapped her on the arm and she turned her eyes over to Harry.

Harry's eyes looked around the room. "I'll tell you later, what did you want to tell me?" he asked Hermione. She nodded her head and pulled him to the couch. Ron, who had beaten the 3rd year, joined them. He sat down next to his friend and looked at him with a bit of a frown.

Hermione dropped her voice low when she noticed Romilda and Lavender looking in their direction. "What did Draco tell the others on the train?"

"He has a dark mark but doesn't want to show it off," Harry answered.

"So it's possible that he's lying?" Hermione stated quickly.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, but I don't think he is. He might not have earned his mark yet and he might have lied about that, but I think he is on that track."

"I'm not doubting you anymore," she assured him. "Me and Ginny got into the room of requirement."

"And, were you able to get in?" He looked from Hermione to Ginny who was hanging over Hermione's shoulder. Ron sat uneasily in his chair as he continued to look at Harry.

"We did," she answered. "We found Draco inside a room we have never noticed before. All these objects I've never seen before, and there was a smell of sherry but that's besides the point."

"Draco was in there? Who else?" Harry asked.

Hermione took a deep breath, "Goyle, Crabbe and Parkinson."

"We got caught by them so we don't know what they were up to," Ginny added, "they were really scared and angry though."

"I wonder about what," Harry frowned. "It can't be possible that what he wanted fixed would be in Hogwarts."

"Doubtful," Hermione stated, "but something is going on and I intend to find out what. They were acting more strange than usual."

"They better not find out that we told you," Ginny whispered even lower than she originally was.

"They told us not to tell anyone," Hermione added. Harry bit his finger for a moment but looked back to Ron, "did you tell them about Dumbledore?" Ron nodded.

Lavender and Romilda walked off to the girl's dorm, but Hermione could tell they were both trying to figure out what they were talking about. She shot them both a glare as they walked off. She sighed and turned her head around to look at the room. It was slowly clearing up.

Harry noticed this as well, but didn't stop whispering to them. "He's showing me things about Voldermort."

"Ron stop it," Hermione rolled her eyes at his overreaction to the name, "what about Voldermort?"

"Memories that Dumbledore has," he told them, "I think he wants me to understand Voldermort."

Hermione shifted in her seat nervously. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere near his mind," she shuttered. Ginny nodded her head, "you surely wouldn't. It's not a pretty sight."

Harry hung his head low, "I'll let you know what happens. Dumbledore wants to keep me coming to him. Snape has been in a pain in my lower backside lately."

"Harry, it can't be that bad," Ron said.

"It is," he said. "I think Quidditch is going to be the only good thing this year."

The next few days came and went; Ginny and Hermione were making the tower their meeting place over the days checking to make sure Lavender wasn't following them. They spoke briefly about her, but spent more time together in fear of recent events breaking them apart.

Luna was skipping through the halls as she bumped into Hermione. "Where's Ginny?" she asked instantly. Hermione turned around, "hello Luna. She's out on the field having practice with the team."

"Oh, the game is going to be happening soon," she said with a smile. "Ginny will do well. She's a nice person. How is Ron?"

"He's doing slightly better at keeping but I'm afraid he's just getting more and more nervous and doesn't do well," Hermione frowned. Luna nodded her head, "he needs to relax and just allow it to come him. I hope he can do so if he wants to succeed."

"Right," Hermione smiled weakly. As much as Luna was right, she wished she wasn't as blunt as she was. "Where are you going?" Luna asked.

"Common room," she answered. "I have to do this potions essay for Slughorn."

"I do enjoy that club. I was shocked to find that you were trying out for the team during a meeting." Luna looked forward as Hermione looked at her for a moment before turning her head to the hallway again.

"Yes," she said, "I wanted to be there for Ginny and Ron."

"Are you sure you weren't avoiding the meeting?" Luna giggled more to herself than at Hermione.

Hermione frowned deeply, "fine you caught me."

"It's fine," Luna assured her, "I won't tell. I need to go some studying for O.W.L.S. Bye Hermione!" With that Luna broke off and skipped down another hallway leaving Hermione to walk to the common room alone.

Once inside, she noticed that Ginny, Ron and Harry were still outside on the pitch. She didn't really feel like going to see them so she sat down on the couch with Crookshanks. Lavender walked in to get some books before returning to the library but she stopped cold when she saw Hermione completely alone in the room.

Hermione was stroking Crookshanks as her eyes looked into the fire. Her mind was deep in thought about Draco and what he was doing in that room with the other Slytherins. Lavender looked at her and was lost in her. She shook herself out of the trance long enough to look around the room to make sure they were alone.

"Granger?" Lavender called out softly. Hermione was snapped out of her thoughts. Her eyes traced over Lavender with a hint of disgust. "Brown, what is it?" Hermione turned her head back to the fire.

"What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be cheering on that little thing you call a girlfriend?" Lavender asked trying to sound as rude as possible.

"No," Hermione said coldly. "What are you doing up here at this time?" Hermione's eyes landed on her again as if challenging her.

"I needed to come back for a book that's in my trunk. I wasn't expecting anyone to up here," she again tried to sound rude, "but I was horribly mistaken."

"What is your problem with me anyway?" Hermione's eyes continued to burn into hers. Lavender couldn't look away. She felt slightly weak without her friends around.

"You aren't normal," she finally said after a few seconds of silence. "Normal?" Hermione laughed, "You aren't normal either."

"Excuse me?" Lavender nearly lost her cool. "What are you talking about?"

"First you end up fancying Draco, and don't tell me you didn't," Hermione shot at her as she started to get up. Sensing the dispute, Crookshanks ran off to hide under a chair. "Then you take an interest in Ron for a reason that I don't even know. Then you end up spying on me and Ginny?"

"I wasn't spying on you!" Lavender shouted. "I told you why I was there and if you don't believe me you can go ask Malfoy!"

"I heard heavy breathing as if you were enjoying the show," Hermione was now boiling with anger. "Ginny might not have heard it but I did. What is your deal?"

Lavender broke down, "I've had a crush on you since 3rd year."

Hermione was now so angry she was going to explode. "Yet you show your affection by treating me and Ginny like trash and then making crude remarks to Ron?"

"I can't let anyone else know," she said, "ever since you and Ginny started I was jealous of her and I thought that you liked Ron so I tried to make you feel bad by going after him."

"You ruined us and told everyone about what you saw that day," Hermione was now yelling. She took a step closer to Lavender with clenched fists.

"I had to! You were making me sick to my stomach," she shouted back, "I couldn't bear to see that you had slipped to her. You could have been mine, not hers. She doesn't deserve you!"

"Like you do?!" Hermione took another step closer. She was about to push Lavender into a wall for what she was saying.

Lavender was just as angry at Hermione at this point. Everything she was hiding from her friends came out, "because of you! All because of you and this whole thing, you know the school laughs at you. They did because you were with Harry in his campaign."

"You were in with us," Hermione got even closer to her. Now they were nose to nose and if Lavender wasn't as angry as she was she might have been able to enjoy it. "You joined D.A. after you saw that we were right and you were wrong. All of these people don't mean a thing to me because if they laugh then they really aren't worth my time. I only care about those close to me, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. That's it. That's all I need."

Lavender's face softened. She sighed and backed away from Hermione. "I'm sorry," she said slowly, "I promise I won't make fun of you or make you jealous. I have no reason to. I was just trying to make myself feel better since I thought you weren't, you know."

Hermione turned her head, "I didn't know you were either." The word was on both their tongues but none of them said it. "Don't think that you can't act on your feelings. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have hurt you or made fun of you."

"I wish I would have known that earlier," Lavender said backing up into a chair. She took a seat and placed her head in her hands to cry. The portrait opened to reveal Ginny and Ron. Ginny ran in to hug Hermione, "What's going on in here? Why is she crying?"

Ron looked at her with a fierce face, "what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing," Hermione lied, "Lavender was just apologizing for what she did last year and this. She and I are ok now. I think we won't have any more problems."

Lavender looked up from her hands to see Hermione looking at her softly for the first time in two years. She had a grateful look on her face.