Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this story. I'd be swimming in my big pile of money. You deserve it Jo. )

Hello! Yes, I'm back...with a brand new story. Yes, I know I should be finishing up my sequel to What Are You Waiting For?, Still Waiting, but I thought it was a good time to start something fresh. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is almost out (13 days, 7 hours, 2 minutes, 18 seconds to be exact) and it's really getting me into my fics. So, I hope you enjoy, as much as I did writing...er..typing it!

Chapter One: And So It Begins

The gloomy weather of late April was enough to tear anyone in a thousand pieces, due to boredom. It felt as if it had been raining for forty days and forty nights. Harry Potter twirled his quill between his fingers. He stared out the window, watching the rain.

"You know, there are more productive things then just sitting there, watching the rain hit the ground," Hermione Granger said.

"Oh yeah? Like what?—And if you say homework, reading, or studying, I'll turn your books into socks for Dobby." Harry threatened. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Well, it is better than doing nothing all day!"

"Hey, it's not my fault it's been raining cats and dogs for so long," Harry sighed. "I appreciate extra Quidditch practice now."

"Maybe you'll also appreciate my notes more, now that I've decided I'm not giving them to you!" Hermione said.

"What? Why not?"

"Because you and Ron are always taking advantage of me! You two always go off in your little world, while the professors are talking, and you expect me to take all the notes!"

"Er...yeah," Harry shrugged.

"Argh!"

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and a dark-haired boy jumped in. He looked so familiar. "Hey, Hermione, cheek out the new kid." Harry nodded at him. Hermione stared at the boy—no man. She could have sworn that she might have been drooling. He was like no one she had seen before. He was tall, and handsome. His bright green eyes flashed whenever he looked towards her way. She saw him moving his hand through his hair. All she could get out of her mouth was, "wow."

"Hermione!" Ron Weasley shook her shoulder. Hermione returned to Earth.

"Huh? What do you want?" She stuttered.

Ron grinned. "Who were you looking at there? You looked like Loony Lovegood when she's acting extra weird."

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Do you really want us to answer that, Ron?" Harry said. Ron gave him the eye.

"Well, then, if you weren't looking at anyone, you won't mind if I call over the new kid." Ron smirked. "HEY, YOU BLOKE! YEAH, YOU! Come over here, for a second."

"No, Ron!" Hermione punched him. The New Kid reluctancy came over to the trio.

"Er...hi," he said.

"Hiya! I'm Ron Weasley." Ron said. "This is Hermione Granger."

"Hi," Hermione whispered.

"Hi," The New Kid whispered back. Ron giggled. Hermione shot him a nasty look.

"And this is Harry Potter." The New Kid's eyes widened. Oh dear God, not another one. Harry thought.

"You—Harry Potter? I cannot believe this!" With his strong French accent, it was easy to tell he wasn't from around here.

"Er...yeah," Harry said.

"Wow!" The New Kid put his arm around Harry's neck. "I am Jèrôme, you can give me a whole tour of your school!"

"Er...okay, I guess," Harry looked over his shoulder to see a hysterical Ron. Damn. Reason number 437 for why he didn't like his name. Hermione fell dreamily onto the couch. She sighed. "Jèrôme..."

— — —

"So...erm...this is the bathroom, and over there's another bathroom, but you don't want to go into that one...it's the girls'." Harry explained. Jèrôme nodded.

"Talking about these girls...how are they like here at Hogwarts?" He asked.

"Oh, the girls? Well, they're okay. Some are really smart, like my friend Hermione. The one you just met." Harry said.

"Oh...but are they any better ones?" Jèrôme asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You listen here, Hermione is my best friend! She's nice, and smart, and pretty, and a lot of fun! Any bloke would be lucky to go out with her!"

"Er...whatever you say," Jèrôme said. "So can you show me where the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom is..."

Bloody Hell. What did I just say! Harry thought. Hermione...she's my friend. Nothing else, of course. Yes, that's it. Friends. Just like when we were in first year, and second, and third...

"Harry!" Jèrôme said. "Are you there?"

"Huh? Oh yeah...er...listen I don't think we can continue...maybe later."

"Erm...okay, my friend. See you!"

Harry walked back to the common room. He instantly go flooded with questions from Hermione the minute he stepped in. "You have to tell me everything!"

Don't tell her! He thought. "Er...not now, Hermione...I'm really tired. I'm just going to go bed." He walked to his dorm, leaving a slightly-upset Hermione behind. She shrugged and went back to her books.

— — —

"Now class, I hope that you'll listen closely because there are things in this potion that might be dangerous." Professor Snape walked between the desks. "Some of you, Potter, will find it funny to be mischievous with this. And some of you, Potter, will not follow these directions carefully on the board. And some of you, Potter, will fail this class if you do so."Draco Malfoy snicked. Harry looked at him and Snape with deep disgust. "You will be paired up, and you will have one hour to finish the potion."

Harry and Hermione were paired up, and quickly started. "Psst! Psst! Potter! Granger!" Draco called. Harry and Hermione turned around. "So, I just called to say...hi!" Something was not right. Malfoy would never just say 'hi' without an additional insult. He was up to something.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Hermione shot.

"Well, nothing, Granger," Malfoy repeated. "What ever are you talking about?" Crabbe tip-toed to Harry and Hermione's work station, and added three phoenix feathers into the cauldron. He slowly walked back.

"Okay, Malfoy, stop bothering us!" Hermione said, as she turned around. They continued with the potion. "So we add three phoenix feathers, right?" Harry nodded. She added three more in. The cauldron began to bubble, creating a sticky yellow-green substance.

"What is going on here, Potter...Granger?" Snape spat.

"I-I don't know, sir." Hermione said. "We had just added three feathers, and it's beginning to act like this!"

"Seems like Potter's work," Snape sneered.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Harry yelled.

Snape eyed him. "Of course it wasn't. Fix it." He turned on his heel.

"Harry, we need to fix this!" Hermione said.

"Yeah, but how?—" The contents splatted out of the cauldron, covering Harry and Hermione in yellow-green goo. Malfoy went on a laughing riot, wiping tears out of his eyes.

"Well, well, Potter, I didn't think you would mess up this much. But then again, there's a first time for everything," Snape smiled, as if he enjoyed Harry's torture. "You both will, of course, receive a failing grade." Hermione looked as if she was going to cry. "Class dismissed."

It took Harry and Hermione a good thirty minutes to wash the goo off. "Stupid Malfoy," Hermione said. "I know he was behind all of this. Sometimes, I wish I could just—" She gestured choking him.

"Well, at least you don't have Snape breathing down your back every time he gets the chance," Harry said moving his hand through his hair. Hermione glanced at him. It seemed oddly familiar...

She sighed. "Well, I guess there's really no point of hurrying now. We've already missed half of Charms." Hermione glanced at Harry again. Her eyes widened. "Harry! Harry, your hand! It's vanishing!" Harry looked down at his hand, and it was vanishing.

"Hermione! Your's too! Look!" Harry showed her.

"What's happening!" Hermione panicked.

"I-I dunno..."

"Wait, wait. I remember reading about this somewhere," Hermione said. "The potion, the potion is the cause of this. It's got to be some kind of dark magic, or something."

"Do you know the counter curse?" Harry asked.

"Er...I don't think so. We'll just be vanishing, until we're gone..." By the looks of it, it was happening fast.

"Let's get a teacher to help."

"No time, I have an idea," Hermione said. "Come on, Harry." They ran to the common room, and Hermione went upstairs to her dorm. In minutes, she came back with something Harry hadn't seen in a long time, the time-turner. "If we can go back in time, we can stop Malfoy from messing with our potion. But, we have to do it quickly. I'm not supposed to be using this." She put the chain around Harry and herself.

Just then, the portrait of the Fat-Lady swung open. Hermione, surprised by this, felt her hand slip away from the time-turner. She saw it spinning like crazy. Before they knew it, they were going back in time...

Well...? I know there's not too much Harry and Hermione romance in this chapter, but I'm getting there. HBP excitement might even make me update in a couple of days! I'm just wild about Harry...

Review?