Athenakitty: Eventually, of course, probably not, yes, not a chance in hell
Black Rose: Well, now you've won something! YAY! Yes, Valiant. Not an owl, but her animal fits her perfectly.
Kitty: Well, Xikum, wanted it in there, and he/she's been such a faithful reader. Not to mention it fit so perfectly with the story.
Chaser: Not as soon as I'd like, but here's an update. Things are crazy here.
Kateri: They're very arrogant. The ironic thing is they don't allow Slytherins to join.
Immortal Rose: Re-reading it, yes there was a lot of smirking. But what do you expect from an arrogant butthead and two Snapes?
Iniysa: That's fine, as long as you enjoy reading.
Fanfiction fanatic: Yep, Valiant.
Moon Kitty: That's cool, I haven't updated recently. Yeah, Valiant's a big jerk.
Pineapplehead: There's a lot more in this chapter. You'll see, it wasn't entirely his planning.
Alamarang: You knew? I must learn to be more subtle
Lee Lee Potter: Hehe, that was the point. Almost everyone thought it was Voldemort.
Sakura Le: All that, just for a test. Great, isn't it. To get italics and bold, you write the chapter in Word, with no spaces between the paragraphs. Then, save it as a web page or html document. Then, when you upload it, it will appear as mine do.
Snapefan51: Let's heat up that heart again. Lots of H/Hr in this chapter.
Xikum: That question will be answered later. And as to whether or not he would have harmed them? That is a question that will never be answered. You will just have to figure it out on what you perceive Valiant's character to be.
Phoenix Flight: Sorry, I didn't want him too involved, or it would have been given away.
Sparrow: Christmas is going to be great
Sela: They're not evil, they're just a little twisted in their definition of justice. Kinda like that movie "Texas Rangers" with Dillan McDermott.
Mikee: I love being unpredictable. Had to get Harry's POV in there too.
Asprcreme: LOL, I'd send him to myself before you. Alan Rickman for Christmas...*sighs*
Luna699: Thanks for reading! And reviewing almost every chapter. You hit both magic numbers I believe. LOL.
Takari4ever7: I'll tell you all in the note. This chapter is chalk full of H/Hr. Hope you like.
Mistri: LOL, very interesting item. I wouldn't even know how to work that one in.
Felion: You knew!?! Note to self...be more subtle.
Wolfie Jr: LOL, Scotch brand...you are funny
Samantha: EVER READ? Wow, that's is awesome. Thanks so much! *huggles*
Saavik: LOL, Snape is definitely going to want to go back to the Chamber.
Kristen: I'll see what I can do in my spare time.
Alecatq: Thanks!
Charma1219: They'll develop even more over Christmas. More bonding!
Liliana-Suger: Yep, she's back.
Ashes: Not a fan, huh? Sorry then, this chapter may not be your favorite. But stick with it, because this is about as H/Hr as this story is gonna get.
Serapotter: Updating!
Thanks ever so much for reading and reviewing. I love all of you! I got the riddles from Riddles.com, but I can't seem to get back there. Hmpf. This chapter isn't really big on action, but it has lots of H/Hr-ness. Be patient though, as this is about as fluffy as this one gets. Enjoy.
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"Harry?" A distant voice called him from his dream. But that voice was very familiar…Hermione! He bolted up, causing the girl to jump in surprise. "Harry, what are you doing here? It's in the middle of the night!" He smiled and kissed her cheek.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. We found you in the Chamber of Secrets." Her eyes widened, then shot to the window. There was a light snowfall, and her eyes bugged out of her head.
"What day is it?" she asked shrilly, almost afraid of the answer. Harry chuckled.
"December 17th," he said. She practically dove out of bed.
"Holy cricket! Exams are this week! I've been gone for almost a month; who knows how much I've missed!" She began scrambling, throwing on her robe and running her hand through her hair. Harry smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Herms! It's ok. The Headmaster excused you from exams this term." If possible, she became even more flustered.
"He what?" she shrieked. Harry grimaced at the volume, then chuckled.
"I told him you would say that. Listen, you need to relax. You've been through a terrible ordeal, and now you need to unwind." Her face softened.
"What about you?" she asked. "What about your ordeal? Are you excused from exams?" Harry faltered.
"I, uh, opted to take mine. But I've been in classes for the past month!" he added as she opened her mouth. "Look, you can stay here, or you can go home early. Keep and Blaise are returning to the Burrow tomorrow, but Ron is staying. I would like for you to go home and relax, but it's your call."
"Harry, I—" she sighed heavily, "Alright, I'll go home. Mum and Dad are probably worried sick."
"I called them earlier tonight and told them you were alright." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you coming over for Christmas?" Harry smiled.
"For a while. Professor Snape wants me to spend Christmas Eve and morning here, but he said I could visit you a little on Christmas."
"Why don't you come over for Christmas dinner? We usually serve it at about four o'clock, and you could be back at the castle before nightfall." Harry nodded.
"That sounds great, Herms." He was about to say something else when Madame Pompfrey walked in with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Potter, I hope you are not aggravating more of my patients?"
Harry decided to refrain from joking on the word play, and shook his head. "No, ma'am, actually, she woke me up." She scrutinized him for a moment, then pointed to Hermione.
"Get back in bed, young lady, until I've checked you out." Hermione pouted, but did as she was told. She recounted to the professors all she could remember (which wasn't much at all) and Harry told them what he'd seen and done. He'd gotten to the point where Valiant would come in when the Headmaster held up his hand.
"That is quite enough, Harry. There are certain things that should not be revealed out in the open." Harry nodded and kept his mouth shut. Madam Pompfrey snorted.
"You are quite healthy, Miss Granger. Do not do anything too strenuous for the next couple of days. One would think that with that much inactivity, your muscles would be experiencing atrophy, but they seem healthy enough." Harry helped her off the bed, steadying her as the blood rushed to her head. The three adults smiled at them as they walked out, hand in hand.
"Headmaster, does that picture remind you of anyone?" Poppy asked.
He chuckled, "Indeed, it seems as if history does repeat itself." Harry held onto Hermione's hand all the way to the dorms, and the Fat Lady smiled at them when they approached.
"It's good to see you again young lady." Hermione smiled sheepishly.
"It's good to be back, Lady. What's the password now Harry?" Harry blinked a few times, breaking the stare he had on her.
"What? Oh, Lions for the Cup." The portrait swung open and they were assaulted by Ron, Blaise, and Ginny.
"Hermione!" Harry blocked her mostly, but Ron snuck through and held her tightly. "You scared me," he whispered. She smiled and pulled away.
"I'm alright, Ron." He smiled and shoved her into Harry.
"You two have some catching up to do," he winked. Her mouth fell open in shock, and Ron laughed. Harry cuffed him on the shoulder and glared at him.
"Stop that Harry," Ginny whispered, "You look like Snape." Harry laughed at the running joke among them and led Hermione away from the crowd. He kissed her deeply once they were in the privacy of the hallway, and she gasped.
"What was that for?"
"Herms, I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again. The first note said he was going to kill all of you if I didn't find you."
"What do you mean all of us?" she asked. They entered her dorm and Harry explained everything that had happened in the last month to her. Near the end, she was smiling.
"So you and Professor Snape are doing well? That's great Harry." She stood from her sitting position on the bed. "Do you need help studying for exams before I go home tomorrow?"
Harry shook his head, "No, but I have notes I need you to study." He checked to see there weren't being spied upon, and crept closer. "Professor Snape has been helping us study to become animagus." Hermione's eyes widened.
"But Harry! That's dangerous, and should be supervised by someone who at least has done it before, like Professor McGonagall!"
Harry smirked, "That's what Ron said, and then a black panther pounced on him. He is an animagus, Herms." If possible, her eyes got wider, and she chuckled.
"But it's still very dangerous. What if one of you messes up? Then he'll have to explain, and he could be thrown into Azkaban!" Harry hadn't thought of that, and he frowned.
~She has a point~ Harry jumped, startled, and began to chuckle, wondering how long he'd been listening.
~Yeah, I know. What about that?~
~It is a risk I have taken. You all have come too far to just stop now. I believe Albus suspects something, but he has said nothing to me. Do not worry about it~ Harry relayed this to Hermione, who shook her head.
"I don't know...alright. What do I do?" Harry sprinted to his room, grabbed his notes, and ran back.
"Here, study these over the break. You'll have to talk to Professor Snape for the incantation. It's pretty complicated." Hermione nodded.
"Alright, I'll take these home. I don't want anyone accidentally seeing them." She tucked them into her trunk and began to stroke Crookshanks' back.
The rest of the day was spent helping Harry study for his exams and playing Exploding Snap with Ron, Blaise, and Ginny.
The next day, Harry and Ron were allowed to skip lunch to go with Hermione, Blaise, and Ginny to the platform. Hermione was the last to board the train. She held on to Harry tightly, as if she was never going to see him again.
"I'll see you Christmas," he kissed her lightly, "Be careful." She nodded and, after a quick hug from Ron, boarded the train with Ginny and Blaise. Ron opted to stay behind to keep Harry company and take the train back with Fred and George. They both waved until the train was out of sight, then jumped into a carriage for a silent ride back to the castle.