Chapter 12

As the morning sun streamed through Hermione's window, she started to wake up. She felt a weight against her leg and thinking it was Crookshanks, she absently ran her hand over it but instantly realized it wasn't her cat. She looked down and there was Harry. He was sound asleep sitting in a chair, his head resting on her bed.

Smiling, she gently stroked his hair. After a moment, he stirred under her hand. When he raised his head, he put his glasses back in their right place and rubbed his neck.

"Hermione!" he said, urgently. "Are you alright?"

She smiled and nodded.
For a heartbeat or two, they just stared at one another. Then, they both spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry!"

Harry forged ahead with his apology.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

She nodded again.
"I know."

"I was so wrong to not tell you what was going on. I just - I just ... I couldn't let you get hurt because of me."

Hermione's smile faded.

"And yet you hurt me. The things you said to me ... no one else could have hurt me like you did."

"Don't you think I know that?" his voice broke. His eyes pleaded with her to understand.
"These past few days have been torture, Hermione. I would give anything -anything- to go back and do it all over again. I even asked McGonagall for the Time Turner - she said no."

"I could have told you that. She'd never give it to you for something like that."

"I was crazy, you know. Crazy about you and desperate to keep you safe. Even if you hated me, you'd still be alive. But I never dreamed you'd ... you know ... take your heart out."

Now it was Hermione's turn to look ashamed.
"Why did you do it, Hermione?" he asked quietly.

She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
"You can only be laughed at so many times, Harry."

He squeezed her hand tightly and shook his head as if willing it to be untrue, his face full of anguish as she continued.

"It's one thing if someone makes fun of me for studying or answering questions ... because I know I'm right. I know the answers. But I don't know how to handle people talking about us ... about me."

"So we're in the same boat. I don't know what I'm doing either - but I know I want to do it with you. Only you. Can't we figure this out together?"

Hermione looked at him hopefully. He sat on the edge of her bed and cupped her face with his hand.

"I know I don't deserve it, but can you forgive me? Will you let me make it up to you?"

She smiled, tears shinning in her eyes.

"I can't promise I won't make more stupid mistakes, - in fact, I probably will make more mistakes - but I promise to always talk to you first." He continued.

"You better." She said, laughing. He leaned forward and kissed her. His thumb brushed away a tear from her cheek and he kissed where it had been.

As Hermione quickly brushed away more tears, Ron knocked and opened the door. But he saw Hermione crying and immediately got the wrong idea. He shut the door and turned on his friends, angry and frustrated.

"Alright, that's it! No more!" He waved his hands emphatically. "We're gonna fix this right now! You BOTH acted like idiots, if you ask me."

He pointed to Harry.
"YOU should have told us what was going on. We're your friends for Merlin's sake!"

Then he turned to Hermione.
"And YOU should have talked to us before you did something so stupid. You were both wrong. Now kiss and make up so we can go to breakfast."

Harry and Hermione looked at Ron with confused expressions and then both burst out laughing.

"Whatever you say, Ron."
Harry leaned forward and happily kissed her.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."
"I'm sorry too, Harry."

"Great! Now that that's settled, let's go. I'm starved!"

Later, when the three of them were walking down to the Great Hall, Harry thought to himself that everything finally felt right again.

But they couldn't manage to avoid Malfoy and his little gang of troublemakers. They were trying to have a quiet breakfast, but could hear the nasty comments across the tables.

"Oh no! There's Potter. Be careful, girls. Try not to fall in love with him!"
Malfoy and his cronies snickered from their table across the room.

"Ignore him" Hermione whispered. Harry looked at her as if to say "Are you sure?"

"Can you tell the difference now, Potter? She was a stone cold bitch before!"
The Slytherin girls laughed out loud. Harry's face burned red as he stood up and shouted at their table.

"Shut your mouth, you pompous git!"

"No. Don't! He wants you to get into trouble." Hermione said, pulling on Harry's robes.

Ron was standing too, glaring at them.
"I'm gonna clean your clock, Malfoy!"

"Ooooo. Don't let your Weasley dog get me, Potter! He might not have all of his shots!" Draco laughed in mock terror as the rest of the table laughed uproariously. Hermione now tried to hold them both back.

Harry was boiling over with rage. He'd felt impotent these past few days, unable to help Hermione. All of his guilt and bad feelings were now being changed into an overwhelming anger at Malfoy. Enough was enough.

"I challenge you to a Wizard's Duel, Malfoy!" Harry yelled.

The entire Great Hall quieted down as Harry's voice traveled around the stone walls. For an instant, uncertainty and fear flashed in Draco's eyes. But surrounded by his lackeys, he had to save face.

"Any time, Potter. It'll be my pleasure to teach you how a REAL wizard duels."

"Tonight. After dinner. In the south hallway."

"Fine. I'll try to look surprised when you don't show up." Malfoy sneered. "And when I'm done with you, I'll teach your Weasley dog and your Mudblood a lesson too."

But now Hermione was livid. She walked over to Malfoy's section of the Slytherin table and leaned close to them.

"Harry's faced Voldemort THREE times. What makes you think you can beat him, little Death-Eater?"

When Malfoy didn't have an immediate answer, Hermione laughed and walked away. Harry and Ron joined her outside in the hallway.

"That was bloody fantastic! You were GREAT!" Ron said, clapping Hermione on the back. Harry was busy hugging her tightly.

"Thanks" he whispered.

"Challenging him in public. That was very smart, Harry. Well done." Hermione said, flushed from her outburst. Then she added. "He's such an ass."

"I can't wait to see his face when you beat him!" Ron said excitedly.

"Well, I haven't won yet. I think I'm gonna go practice."

"We'll help you!" Hermione and Ron said together.


News of the Wizards Duel spread around the school in record time. It was all anyone could talk about. Harry and Ron were busy practicing with their wands while Hermione scoured her books for any new or unusual spells to use against Malfoy.

"He's almost certainly going to try to cheat again." she said.

They all remembered their second year, the first Wizards Duel, Malfoy had gone on 'two' rather than wait for the official count.

"Who's going to officiate? McGonagall and Snape are both biased to their own houses." Hermione asked.

"How about Professor Sprout? She's pretty fair. And she won't care which of us wins."

"Yeah, Harry. That sounds like a good idea. I'll go ask her."
Hermione was about to leave when Harry called out to her.

"You don't know how to turn Malfoy into a ferret again, do you?"
They all had a good laugh remembering Draco as the white ferret.


Dinner that night was a strange thing to witness. The entire Slytherin table was engaged in a staring/glaring war with the entire Gryffindor table. The hall was unusually quiet as people hurried through their food. As soon as they finished they started making their way to the south hallway.

Harry ate normally and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. He didn't want to admit it but his stomach was in knots. It seemed like the entire school was going to watch this duel. What if he didn't win? What if Malfoy knocked him down like the first time? What if he was humiliated by that punk?

No, he thought. I will not lose. I've faced worse than him and survived. What's the saying? Think positive. Yeah, that's it.

Hermione touched his arm.
"Are you ready?"

Nearly everyone else was leaving the room. He nodded and walked out with Hermione and Ron flanking him. He touched his wand for reassurance. It gave a small vibration that tingled up his arm. The hallway was crowded with students anxious to see this showdown. They were standing at least four people thick but parted when they saw Harry.

He swallowed nervously and let out the breath he had been holding. Relax.
At the other end of the hallway stood Malfoy. He smirked when he saw Harry.

"So you decided to show after all. I owe you knute, Crabbe." On cue, Crabbe and Goyle laughed at Malfoy's joke.

Harry took his position and drew his wand.
"Good luck." Hermione said as she stepped back, her fingers crossed.

Ron clapped Harry on the arm.
"Kick his ass."

Harry smiled and nodded. He started to relax a little.
Just then, the crowd parted again and Professor Sprout appeared.

"Alright. We all know this sort of thing isn't exactly welcomed at Hogwarts, but I'm making an exception for you two." She looked at them meaningfully.

"Now, the rules. You'll face each other, wands drawn. On the count of 'three' you'll each unleash your spell. If you incapacitate your opponent such that he is unable to conjure another spell, you'll be declared the winner. And vice versa. If after the first round, neither of you is down, we'll continue with the second round and so on. Clear?"

They both nodded.

"Now, if either you 'jumps the count', and fires before I reach 'three'" -she looked at Malfoy and he blushed red -"you'll be disqualified. Also, if your opponent is down, you cannot fire another spell. Understood?"

Again, they both nodded.

"Alright then. Let's begin."