Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine! The characters belong to the mighty JKR, I'm just playing around with them a bit and promise to return them once I'm done!

A/N: Thank you to Maria aka MarsPotter for all her help with the planning and development of the story! I couldn't have done this without her!

The next day dawned cold and gloomy with a big pile of snow on the school grounds. The castle, being made of stone floors and walls was drafty and chilled through (heating charms only went so far, unfortunately, and had to be renewed constantly by the house elves.)

Not that Harry was worried about the cold at the moment. Nope! Instead, he was too busy having a nervous breakdown about this mental plan of Hermione's that was supposed to go into effect that very morning!

Fucking hell! Ron was going to lose it. If the whole 'Triwizard Tournament incident' was any indication, he wasn't going to take their ruse lightly at all! Consequently, he probably wouldn't talk to Harry for a long long time! What was worse, Harry was terrified that he was somehow going to bollocks the whole ruse up, alienating Hermione in the process, and then both of his best mates would end up being pissed at him - leaving him friendless and all alone! Oh Merlin, what had he been thinking last night? Why in the hell had he even agreed to something this crazy?

The only option was to call it all off. Yup, that's all there was to it! Hermione would be mad at him – sure – but hopefully, it would be fleeting (She could never stay mad at him for too long!) and then everything would go back to normal between them. More importantly, he wouldn't have to deal with Ron's petty jealousy and temper tantrums!

Besides, he wouldn't be abandoning Hermione, not really. He'd just have to figure out some other way to help her get Ron's attention – which was exactly what he would do! But if he didn't call it off, this whole thing had the potential to blow up in all of their faces and end up being a disaster of epic proportions! And he couldn't have that. He needed both his best friends. He couldn't afford to lose either of them!

To that end, he was just going to nip this crazy scheme in the bud before it even got off the ground. And he was going to do just that as soon as he saw Hermione this morning!

He felt much better, having arrived at that somewhat rational decision. He got out of bed and hurried through his morning routine in the hopes of catching his 'soon-to-be pretend girlfriend' early, before the rest of the dorm woke up. Unfortunately, when he went down to the common room, Hermione was nowhere to be found. Knowing her, she had probably gone to the library for some 'light' reading. Reluctantly, he decided that he'd just have to catch her at breakfast.

He picked up his satchel and hurried down to the Great Hall. To his consternations, early though it was, there were already more than a few students seated at the house tables. Still, all was not lost. He would just have to be a bit sneakier than he'd earlier figured on being.

Deciding on his course of action, he hurried to put his stuff down at the table. Neville, who was usually not known to be an early riser, looked up blearily from his cuppa. "Alright, Harry?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Alright Neville." He answered back easily. "Early morning?"

"Yeah, couldn't sleep. I kept having nightmares of Snape trying to use me as a practice dummy yet again. Enough to put a person off sleep, that is…"

Harry winced sympathetically. Snape had been picking on Neville a lot for his defense demonstrations lately. To be fair, Neville had improved a lot since the DA sessions last year but despite that, he was no match for Snape! And his confidence was still shaky at best. Sadly, he also kept losing his nerve when face to face with Snape's sneering face.

"Snape's a right git! You just have to stop letting him intimidate you, Nev!" Ginny chimed up, having caught the tail end of Neville's conversation, as she and Dean slid onto the bench next to Neville.

Oh balls!

For the first time since he'd started noticing her, he found himself less than happy to see Ginny! Her arrival didn't bode well for Harry's planned talk with Hermione. (You couldn't very well discuss a plan that involved manipulating a person into behaving a certain way, right in front of that very same person! That would botch the whole thing up and make it harder for Hermione to get Ron's attention too - a fact that she would not appreciate or thank Harry for in any way!) He would just have to wait until a bit later in the day to catch her alone.

Despite his disgruntlement, he couldn't help but notice how pretty Ginny looked – not that it was such a surprise. She always looked pretty. Dean was one lucky bloke, he couldn't help but notice, his heart twisting with jealousy.

Thankfully, he had plenty on his mind to serve as a distraction. He kept himself occupied going over the potential conversation he needed to have with Hermione…and soon!

Slowly the rest of the class trickled in. Harry kept eyeing the door, looking out for his curly haired best friend, but she was nowhere to be found. Where could she be, he wondered, his nerves jangling nervously. The sooner he got this over with, the better he'd feel! Even Ron, who was usually one of the last ones to arrive at the breakfast table, came in and started wolfing down his food. Lavender was, as was usual of late, stuck to his side like they were some weird version of Siamese twins! (Honestly, he was starting to see why their 'over the top' displays of affection were grating on Hermione's nerves. Even without any feelings involved on his part, Lavender and her touchy-feely giggliness was starting to get to him. He couldn't help but be annoyed at Ron - on Hermione's behalf - for his continued insensitivity!)

Finally just as he was thinking of ducking out to hunt her down, Hermione dashed in hurriedly, and slid in next to him on the bench, not really sparing a glance at anyone around.

"Morning all," she mumbled, picking up a bit of toast and reaching for the pot of tea on the table.

Harry's heart fluttered nervously as he sneaked in a look at her from the corner of his eyes. Was she wearing some kind of glamor charm? She was, wasn't she? And Merlin, her robes seemed shorter than usual too! She must've transfigured them! Whatever she had done, he had to admit, she certainly looked prettier today, than she usually did! Bloody hell, that meant that she was going all out to put their (more accurately her) 'plan' into motion already. And here he was, about to bail on her. This was bad! This was so bad! She was going to hex some boils onto his face a la Marietta Edgecombe, he just knew it!

"Hermione," he hissed, trying desperately to gain her attention, while she was busy buttering her toast.

"Morning Harry," she responded brightly, finally turning her full attention on him. Merlin's balls, she was smiling softly at him, in a way she never had before. Uh oh. Here it was. The 'Plan'. He panicked, unable to give her anything more than a sickly smile in return.

Her smile dropped, her face creasing with a frown of concern. She reached her hand out to feel his forehead "Are you alright? You look a bit peaked."

He gulped. Was this part of 'the Plan'? (Fuck, he really had to stop referring to it in quotations marks in his head, didn't he?) He was pretty sure it was. She usually wasn't so demonstrative in public, not unless they had just saved the day (which they did at least once, pretty much every year) and escaped with their lives (again, sadly, a pretty common occurrence for the three of them.) And if this was part of the plan what should he do? Should he gaze at her lovingly? Should he touch her back in some way? Should he say something cute - something only a boyfriend would say to his girlfriend? And if yes, what? Oh Merlin, he was going to have a full blown panic attack right then and there!

This morning he'd decided to tell her that he didn't want to go ahead with their planned deception. But now, if he backed out, wouldn't it embarrass her in front of their friends? It would end up making her a laughing stock for the whole school. Bleeding hell, what should he do? He couldn't very well ditch her now, could he?

"Harry?" she reiterated.

"No no, I'm fine." he gulped, flinching away from her touch subconsciously.

Her frown deepened, a brief look of something flashing in her eyes. She immediately dropped her hand back to the table and busied herself with fixing her tea. Once that was done, her hands fidgeted with the silverware, rearranging them needlessly. Then she unfolded and refolded her napkin.

Bugger! She was hurt - he just knew she was.

Way to ruin it, Potter, he chided himself mentally. She was his best friend and she was clearly struggling! How many times had she come through for him when he'd needed her? How many times had she stuck by his side, even when everyone else was against him? How many times had she followed him into danger, at the risk to her own health and safety? And here he was, getting cold feet and wanting to back out, one of the only times she'd asked for his help!

And really, what was the big deal? If he tried, he could look beyond the pitfalls of the whole thing and focus on the 'positives', so to speak. At least with him involved, she would never have to resort to 'dating' gits like Maclaggen ever again, thank Merlin! Also, hopefully this whole thing would work quickly and they wouldn't have to pretend for too long. Because, despite it all, she was right. Being his best mate, Harry was more than well aware of Ron's shortcomings. If there was one person Ron was jealous of to the exclusion of anyone else (or felt the most competitive with), it was Harry. There was no way he wouldn't notice Hermione and Harry 'dating'. And once he noticed, there was no way he'd be okay with it, which meant that his and Lavender's days together may as well be numbered!

Feeling guilty and afraid that he'd hurt Hermione's feelings by his reticence, he reached out and grabbed her hand; vowed to ignore his aversion to gossip and public displays of affection for the time being; and go along with this plan of hers, no matter how mental he thought it was! She deserved no less, for all the craziness she'd put up with for him, over the years. Having made up his mind, he decided to bite the bullet once and for all and deliberately laced his fingers with hers.

Her eyes flashed to his in surprise.

"I'm really alright" he reiterated gently, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze.

She gazed at him uncertainly, like she was trying to ascertain that he was telling her the truth and he couldn't help but wish that he was an accomplished Legilimens. That way, he could have shared his willingness and support with her silently. Instead, he'd just have to show her with his actions that he was behind her 100%.

He could see Ginny quirking an eyebrow at their interaction but chose to ignore her entirely while focusing his attention on Hermione. "Hurry up, we don't want to be late for DADA" he chided. "You know Snape is just looking for excuses to give me yet another detention…"

"Oh yes, well I'm done!" Hermione hurried to pick up her bag and books but Harry beat her to it.

"Let me." He offered, hooking her bag over his shoulder. Afterall, wouldn't a real boyfriend do just that?

The pleased smile she gave him, made the action seem worth every bit the effort.

When they reached the classroom, Harry made sure to hold the door open for Hermione before handing her bag to her. Ron had taken to sitting down with Lavender for most of the classes anyway so that made it all the more easy for them to sit together naturally without it seeming too out of character.

Hermione being Hermione, she'd had a detailed list of things that they were supposed to do; specific behaviors that would supposedly announce to all and sundry that they were now an 'item'. They'd gone through the list last night when she'd first proposed the idea. Now all Harry had to do was follow along with the steps she'd outlined and not bollocks everything up spectacularly! (Should be easy, right? Good God, this was going to end up being an epic disaster! Still… he had to try at least!)

All through the lecture, Harry was extra solicitous and attentive (per the plan) - handing Hermione whatever she needed, be it an extra quill or parchment or even her scrunchie that had fallen on the floor under their desk. Hermione beamed at him every time he anticipated her needs and that left him feeling pretty good about himself by the time they had to head out for Potions with Slughorn.

So far, they hadn't done much that would be considered unusual, other than holding hands at breakfast; which no one had really noticed; but that was all about to change during Potions. Usually he partnered up with Ron during Potions, what with Lavender not having scored enough OWLS to be a part of the NEWTS level class. And with Hermione harping on him for his use of the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, he'd taken to avoiding her even more. (It was her opinion that he was cheating by using the comments that the owner of the book had left in the margins while making his Potions. Now granted, his proficiency in Potions was at an all-time high, but did that have to mean that he was cheating? He chose to believe that it was more the effect of Snape no longer being responsible for teaching the subject!) This, of course, had led to many disagreements between him and his female best friend lately. She kept telling him to give away the book or to stop using it and he couldn't help but feel like she was being completely unfair! For once, he was getting some of the highest grades in the subject. And she wanted him to quit? Not bloody likely!

But, just for the sake of their scheme; and to avoid any further disagreements that would sabotage it, he had decided to refrain from using 'the book that shall not be named' for the next few days at least. That would certainly raise some eyebrows – especially Ron's.

"Harry…?" Ron hissed in consternation as Harry walked right past him and sat down next to Hermione at her desk. He also made sure to leave his copy of their assigned textbook inside and asked Hermione if he could share hers instead. (Just the smile the question seemed to elicit from her made him feel like he'd done the right thing.)

Once again, he made sure to pay a bit more attention to Hermione, than he did usually – just simple stuff like getting all the ingredients for her and turning the pages of their shared copy of Advanced Potion Making when she seemed to need it. A few times, as he reached over for an ingredient, he made a show of brushing her hand for added effect. He could see that all their efforts were starting to pay off. More than once he noticed Parvati and Dean, who were partnered with each other on the table next to them, elbowing each other and whispering furtively.

At lunch too, he saw that Parvati in particular kept looking at them suspiciously, perhaps hoping to allay her suspicions in some way.

They had Transfiguration next and by this time, both Hermione and Harry seemed to be in some sort of a groove – Harry carried her bag for her and she saved him a seat right next to her – all without giving it much thought. Ron was once again disgruntled at being ignored, but helpless to do much about it.

They continued with their machinations throughout the rest of the day all the way through dinner and beyond. Homework was done sitting close to each other on the common room floor and with some whispers and soft smiles thrown in for good measure. All in all, they seemed to have pulled off day 1 without too much of an upheaval.

One by one, their classmates turned in for the night. By some subconscious mutual agreement, they both hung back. So far during the day they hadn't had more than a few moments alone and as such hadn't been able to discuss the progress they'd made so far. This seemed like a good opportunity to do so and also to plan out what they'd do going forward.

Finally the last of their friends left and the two were alone in the common room (bar some 7th year students who didn't seem to be bothered by the two of them in any way.) Hermione scooted closer to Harry and almost squealed. "Today was so great! Did you see how bothered Ron seemed?"

Harry grinned, pleased to see her excitement. "Don't think I've seen him so disgruntled in recent times, to be honest. The last time was probably when you turned up with Krum to the Yule Ball…"

"Oh, do you really think so?" she questioned wonderingly.

He nodded solemnly.

She squirmed excitedly, her face splitting into a self-satisfied grin. "Then the plan is definitely working, I'd say! Not that the idiot has noticed anything too out of the ordinary just yet" she said, rolling her eyes. "He really does have the emotional range of a teaspoon, doesn't he?" she giggled. "We might have to step our plan up a notch, don't you think? I'm pretty sure Ron won't notice anything until he's smacked right in the face with it!"

Step it up? How? They'd already held hands and exchanged soft smiles all day long. He'd even carried her bag for her and they'd sat together in every class. What more could they do tomorrow that they hadn't done today? And what did she mean by 'smacking Ron in the face with it?' His breath hitched nervously. She couldn't possibly mean…? Merlin! He'd really been hoping to avoid taking this any further than they already had. He didn't want things to get…uncomfortable for either of them in the long term!

"And oh, did you see how Ginny was frowning at us just now before she went to bed?"

She had? He hadn't really noticed. No way was he telling Hermione though - or else she'd bunch him in with Ron in the emotionally stunted category!

"I'm pretty sure she's dying to know what's going on with us!" Hermione continued, oblivious to his thoughts and unease. "Just wait Harry, before you know it, she'll have broken up with Dean and then you can make your move!" She finished excitedly.

Huh. He'd finally managed to move beyond her 'step up the plan' pitch and catch the tail end of what she was saying. Of course, part of the plan was for his benefit! It was supposed to work not just on Ron but on Ginny as well. How could he have forgotten that?

And then he realized something else. Something enormous! Something that had seemed almost impossible until just yesterday. He realized that for the first time since he's begun noticing her this year, he hadn't given Ginny Weasley a single thought all day long! Even stranger, he couldn't be bothered just then that she was still going out with Dean.

Guess he just had other things on his mind... Such as what Hermione Granger considered 'Stepping it up a notch'.

He decided to just ask, instead of stewing about it any longer. "Err, Hermione…?" he prodded nervously. "What exactly do you mean when you say you want to step it up a notch?"

"Oh!" She got flustered, shooting him a quick glance before quickly looking away. Then she started nervously rearranging her already neat pile of books and parchment.

Bugger it all! She did mean…!

"Hermione," he groaned. "No!"

"What? You haven't even heard what I was going to suggest!" she protested.

"Well, if it's making you nervous then it's definitely something to worry about, isn't it?! Because usually it's your job to be fretting about my half-brained ideas! I mean, Ron is my best mate! I'd rather not alienate him entirely! And you know how short tempered Ginny is as well…" he added almost as an afterthought. After all, he was supposed to care about how Ginny reacted to the whole thing as well, wasn't he?

Although, funnily enough, he was more worried about Ron's reaction than he was about Ginny's, at least for the time being…

"Yes, okay, you're right! I guess…" she trailed off dejectedly for a moment but then seemed to come to a sort of resolve and soldiered on, "I was just going to suggest that maybe you can run your hands through my hair or touch my cheek or something like that. Or maybe, give me a hug sometime? Is that too much, do you think?" She sounded uncertain.

Oh okay…Whew! That was nowhere near as bad as he'd imagined it to be.

"No, that…that isn't too bad. I can do that, yeah!" he promised over eagerly.

"Oh good!" she beamed. "Have I mentioned before just how great you are ,Harry Potter? You're pretty much the best!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled good naturedly. "No need to flatter me…I've already agreed to your hairbrained scheme haven't I?"

"Hey!" she protested immediately. "It might be a bit crazy, I grant you, but it is not hairbrained! After all, I never do anything without planning it out all the way! That's your forte I'm afraid!"

"Okay, okay…no need to get huffy with me! I'm sorry, alright? Your plan is brilliant, oh intelligent one!" Harry teased, bumping her shoulder with his gently. "But, if you want me to be alert and on my toes tomorrow, we better be heading to bed right now. Otherwise, I might be too sleepy to remember what I'm supposed to be doing!"

"Yes, right! We definitely can't have that!"

They both gathered their books and parchments and walked to the dual set of staircases together. "Good night Harry," Hermione called, before heading up the steps leading to the girls dorm.

"Good night Hermione…" he called back.

Halfway up the stairs, she paused abruptly and turned around.

"Wha…?" he trailed off as she ran down the stairs and gave him a bone crushing hug. "I mean it, Harry. You're absolutely smashing!" she reiterated, before kissing his cheek softly. Then - before he could even fully process what had just happened - she dashed off leaving him floundering for a rational response.

He didn't know how long he just stood there, his hand touching his tingling cheek, his heart racing in confusion... but by the time he went up, his roommates were all snoring peacefully. Later, after he'd changed into his pajamas and gotten into bed himself, he couldn't help but wonder - why was it that Hermione's platonic embrace had rendered him entirely speechless when no touch from Ginny had ever had a similar effect?

A/N: Please read and review! I would love to hear what you think!