A/N: After the prologue, this is now going back a few months, to before it
all started.
Chapter One
She was shaken out of her daydream roughly. Her head resting on her hand, and her smooth deep brown hair falling about her face, she was thinking hard. At the sharp tone of voice, she glanced around and acknowledged Professor Snape stood next to her desk. "Usually you are a self-confessed know-it-all but today, the one day that I want you to answer the question, you choose to stare into space and doodle," He glanced down at the piece of parchment in front of her. "Well, well," he said smoothly, a curt smirk forming about his thin lips. "I love Harry." The Slytherins sniggered, especially Draco Malfoy, who was know looking at her with increasing dislike. She flushed deep magenta. "So, Mr Potter has a girlfriend now, does he?" Snape whipped around and advanced on Harry's desk. "That's a surprise." What Harry was dying to say was that he'd be willing to bet 500 galleons on Snape never having a girlfriend in his life, but he knew that all that would land him would be a detention and 100 points taken from Gryffindor house. Instead, he just smiled pleasantly and remarked:
"Yeah, it looks like it." Snape's smirk evaporated.
"CLASS DISMISSED!" he barked, then turned on her. "If I catch you daydreaming in my class again, I will take 50 points from Gryffindor. And that also applies to the rest of you!" He turned back to Harry and Ron's desk, probably to make another sarcastic comment, but as both young men had now stood up and their 6'2" heights were emphasised over his 5'10" existence, he decided to remain quiet. She had already hurried out of the dungeon accompanied by her best friend Laria, denying Harry the chance to talk to her before late that night. Potions was their last class on a Friday, not a particularly nice way to round off the week in Harry's opinion, and Hermione went to her Arithmancy Advanced class until 9pm after school. He sighed, and he and Ron made their way back to the Common Room. Now in sixth year, both of them had changed from the small, skinny boys they were in lower school to tall and well-built men. In many girls' minds, it was Harry who had the better physique, having played Quidditch constantly for six years had undoubtedly defined his muscles, but both of them were equally attractive and popular within school.
"So," Ron smiled, keeping pace easily with Harry's large strides. "Looks like someone else has found out about your affair with Hermione."
"It's not an affair, as you keep suggesting, Ron," Harry snapped. "We're just going out together."
"Oh, okay," Ron said, still grinning. "Whatever." Harry stopped dead.
"Look, me and Mione, we're just, you know, erm, cruising."
"Cruising is right, too bad there's no waves." Harry had to laugh at this last comment.
"What on earth are you two going on about?" came a deep voice from behind them. They turned immediately.
"Sirius! I mean, erm, Professor Black!" Harry stumbled. Sirius approached them cautiously, grinning. Last year, he had been acquitted of all charges when Peter Pettigrew was caught by Arthur Weasley. Ron had been excessively proud of his father, awarded the Order of Merlin First Class, and had taken much delight in rubbing it in Draco Malfoy's nose. Dumbledore immediately offered Sirius the position of Arithmancy Professor, which Sirius had only too willingly accepted. "Shouldn't you be taking your Arithmancy Advanced class now?"
"Yes, yes, all in good time. But first, I wanted to ask you something, Harry. I heard it from my third years first. Is it true?" Harry looked baffled.
"What?"
"Are you and Hermione Granger an item?"
"Oh my god! How the hell has this suddenly got around school and back again?"
"Jesus, Harry! Slow down!" Sirius cried.
"Only three people knew about it!" he yelled, turning to Ron. "Me and Mione kept it quiet for three months but then you guessed, swore you'd keep it quiet out of her wishes rather than mine, but still the whole school finds out! How?"
"Okay, okay. Calm down tiger. Don't get your motor racing!" Ron chuckled. "Look," he said, solemnly. "I never meant to tell anyone, but you know what I'm like after a few butterbeers. I can tend to blab my mouth off. Sorry." He added humbly.
"Four months?" Sirius butted in. "How sweet. The two most popular people in school are an item at last!" Harry shot him a look. "Okay, erm, I'm sorry too. Look I've got to go, but I'll see you two over the weekend, okay?" They nodded their heads, and he turned on his heel and walked back down the corridor, his black robes billowing behind him.
"Come on, Ron," Harry smiled. "It doesn't matter." They walked swiftly to the Common Room and gave the password to the Fat Lady (eighth dwarf). Once inside, they went up to their Ron's private bedroom (seeing as he was a Prefect) and dumped their books. Ron pulled out his baggy maroon sweater and pulled it over his head. "Hell, it's so cold in here, Ron! Close the windows!" Ron did as he was told, and put a heat charm on the room. "Better!" was Harry's response. They chilled in Ron's room for a couple of hours; completing their usual Friday night routine. Once or twice, they had dug out the Invisibility Cloak and had gone clubbing in Hogsmeade, thanks to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. At about half ten, they heard several other students making their way to their dormitories.
"You should go too, Harry," Ron said, sleepily.
"Oh thanks a lot!" Harry said indignantly.
"I'm knackered!"
"Oh, okay! I wonder why Hermione hasn't come up to see us."
"Probably got swallowed by a book in the library!" Ron grunted, and from then on emitted an occasional snore to remind Harry that he had fallen asleep. Harry rolled his eyes, and peeled himself out of his chair. As he did so, several crumbs and chocolate wrappers fell off his robes. He grunted and made steadily for the door. The Common Room, he found was almost empty apart from Fred and George Weasley, who were slumped over a table in the corner, obviously plotting something. Hermione's room was the same as Ron's; as she was the other prefect for Gryffindor House, except among the girls' dormitories.
It was empty. Moonlight illuminated her four-poster bed and the fact that it contained no-one or hadn't been slept in. Harry looked at his watch in surprise. Eleven. Where the hell was she? He climbed into her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
When she came back an hour later, he didn't wake. She dropped her books on her desk and regarded Harry with interest. She knelt at the side of the bed and kissed his nose gently. Climbing into the bed next to him, she smiled. This year was going to be an interesting one.
Chapter One
She was shaken out of her daydream roughly. Her head resting on her hand, and her smooth deep brown hair falling about her face, she was thinking hard. At the sharp tone of voice, she glanced around and acknowledged Professor Snape stood next to her desk. "Usually you are a self-confessed know-it-all but today, the one day that I want you to answer the question, you choose to stare into space and doodle," He glanced down at the piece of parchment in front of her. "Well, well," he said smoothly, a curt smirk forming about his thin lips. "I love Harry." The Slytherins sniggered, especially Draco Malfoy, who was know looking at her with increasing dislike. She flushed deep magenta. "So, Mr Potter has a girlfriend now, does he?" Snape whipped around and advanced on Harry's desk. "That's a surprise." What Harry was dying to say was that he'd be willing to bet 500 galleons on Snape never having a girlfriend in his life, but he knew that all that would land him would be a detention and 100 points taken from Gryffindor house. Instead, he just smiled pleasantly and remarked:
"Yeah, it looks like it." Snape's smirk evaporated.
"CLASS DISMISSED!" he barked, then turned on her. "If I catch you daydreaming in my class again, I will take 50 points from Gryffindor. And that also applies to the rest of you!" He turned back to Harry and Ron's desk, probably to make another sarcastic comment, but as both young men had now stood up and their 6'2" heights were emphasised over his 5'10" existence, he decided to remain quiet. She had already hurried out of the dungeon accompanied by her best friend Laria, denying Harry the chance to talk to her before late that night. Potions was their last class on a Friday, not a particularly nice way to round off the week in Harry's opinion, and Hermione went to her Arithmancy Advanced class until 9pm after school. He sighed, and he and Ron made their way back to the Common Room. Now in sixth year, both of them had changed from the small, skinny boys they were in lower school to tall and well-built men. In many girls' minds, it was Harry who had the better physique, having played Quidditch constantly for six years had undoubtedly defined his muscles, but both of them were equally attractive and popular within school.
"So," Ron smiled, keeping pace easily with Harry's large strides. "Looks like someone else has found out about your affair with Hermione."
"It's not an affair, as you keep suggesting, Ron," Harry snapped. "We're just going out together."
"Oh, okay," Ron said, still grinning. "Whatever." Harry stopped dead.
"Look, me and Mione, we're just, you know, erm, cruising."
"Cruising is right, too bad there's no waves." Harry had to laugh at this last comment.
"What on earth are you two going on about?" came a deep voice from behind them. They turned immediately.
"Sirius! I mean, erm, Professor Black!" Harry stumbled. Sirius approached them cautiously, grinning. Last year, he had been acquitted of all charges when Peter Pettigrew was caught by Arthur Weasley. Ron had been excessively proud of his father, awarded the Order of Merlin First Class, and had taken much delight in rubbing it in Draco Malfoy's nose. Dumbledore immediately offered Sirius the position of Arithmancy Professor, which Sirius had only too willingly accepted. "Shouldn't you be taking your Arithmancy Advanced class now?"
"Yes, yes, all in good time. But first, I wanted to ask you something, Harry. I heard it from my third years first. Is it true?" Harry looked baffled.
"What?"
"Are you and Hermione Granger an item?"
"Oh my god! How the hell has this suddenly got around school and back again?"
"Jesus, Harry! Slow down!" Sirius cried.
"Only three people knew about it!" he yelled, turning to Ron. "Me and Mione kept it quiet for three months but then you guessed, swore you'd keep it quiet out of her wishes rather than mine, but still the whole school finds out! How?"
"Okay, okay. Calm down tiger. Don't get your motor racing!" Ron chuckled. "Look," he said, solemnly. "I never meant to tell anyone, but you know what I'm like after a few butterbeers. I can tend to blab my mouth off. Sorry." He added humbly.
"Four months?" Sirius butted in. "How sweet. The two most popular people in school are an item at last!" Harry shot him a look. "Okay, erm, I'm sorry too. Look I've got to go, but I'll see you two over the weekend, okay?" They nodded their heads, and he turned on his heel and walked back down the corridor, his black robes billowing behind him.
"Come on, Ron," Harry smiled. "It doesn't matter." They walked swiftly to the Common Room and gave the password to the Fat Lady (eighth dwarf). Once inside, they went up to their Ron's private bedroom (seeing as he was a Prefect) and dumped their books. Ron pulled out his baggy maroon sweater and pulled it over his head. "Hell, it's so cold in here, Ron! Close the windows!" Ron did as he was told, and put a heat charm on the room. "Better!" was Harry's response. They chilled in Ron's room for a couple of hours; completing their usual Friday night routine. Once or twice, they had dug out the Invisibility Cloak and had gone clubbing in Hogsmeade, thanks to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. At about half ten, they heard several other students making their way to their dormitories.
"You should go too, Harry," Ron said, sleepily.
"Oh thanks a lot!" Harry said indignantly.
"I'm knackered!"
"Oh, okay! I wonder why Hermione hasn't come up to see us."
"Probably got swallowed by a book in the library!" Ron grunted, and from then on emitted an occasional snore to remind Harry that he had fallen asleep. Harry rolled his eyes, and peeled himself out of his chair. As he did so, several crumbs and chocolate wrappers fell off his robes. He grunted and made steadily for the door. The Common Room, he found was almost empty apart from Fred and George Weasley, who were slumped over a table in the corner, obviously plotting something. Hermione's room was the same as Ron's; as she was the other prefect for Gryffindor House, except among the girls' dormitories.
It was empty. Moonlight illuminated her four-poster bed and the fact that it contained no-one or hadn't been slept in. Harry looked at his watch in surprise. Eleven. Where the hell was she? He climbed into her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
When she came back an hour later, he didn't wake. She dropped her books on her desk and regarded Harry with interest. She knelt at the side of the bed and kissed his nose gently. Climbing into the bed next to him, she smiled. This year was going to be an interesting one.