Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. I recognize this fact. The plot does belong to me. Now, would you please let me out of this funny white jacket now? What are you doing? You're giving me medicine, aren't you? I don't need no medicine! Nooooo!

A/N: (and pointless ramblings...) I'm not sure when I'm going to post this, seeing as right now I have no idea what I'm going to be writing... hopefully it's today... but then, it's always today... I hope that it is Sunday, and, if not, my deepest apologies are offered up to any readers! (and it's not Sunday, so I do apologize. Hopefully it is worth the wait.)

The pile of books they had gone through had just about reached the library ceiling when Hermione came looking for Harry and Ginny. She frowned at the pair, who were oblivious to her entrance and continued flipping through pages of parchment with dazed looks permanently etched onto their faces.

"Ginny? Ginny! Ginny, I need to talk with you!" Hermione finally gave up and walked over to the younger girl, giving her shoulders a shake.

"What? What's going on?" Ginny cast around the room, searching for the cause of her awakening.

Seeing this, Hermione took the witch's head in her hands, and turned it so that she was facing her. "Ginny. It's me. Hermione. I've come because neither you nor Harry has had anything except for Pepsi in the past two days, and you need to eat something. Now! It's the weekend; you're supposed to get some sleep!"

"Must. Beat. Snape."

Hermione ruthlessly shook her again. "You are going to wake Harry up, because goodness knows if I've ever been able to, and you both are going to come down to the kitchens, eat, and go directly to sleep. If you don't I will talk to Dumbledore, and he'll keep you out of the library for a week!"

"Don't. Have. A Week," Ginny said. "Debate. Friday. Must. Read." She tiredly batted away Hermione's hands, entirely ineffectively.

It was only at this that Hermione decided on the last resort. Desperate times, desperate measures. I do feel kind of bad about this, but... "Ron! Get in here, please!"

"What is it, Hermione?" he called back from his watch outside the door.

"Just get in here!" Hermione pulled out her wand and levitated Ginny's body so that it was over Harry's, setting her gently down so that her head was on his lap.

"What is it- HARRY!" Ron came in and saw them, just as they were, and blew a gasket.

At the sound of his best friend's voice, Harry's head snapped up. He blinked a couple of times, wearily, unconsciously smoothing Ginny's hair before he realized what he was doing- smoothing Ginny's hair, so conveniently spread over his legs.

"What is she-" Harry started, but was cut off by Hermione.

"Good. Ron, I put them like that. Harry and Ginny would not wake up, but that was very effective. Harry, I want you to look at Ginny- she's lost weight, and so have you. You need to get some food, and some sleep, and now!"

This was not the voice Hermione usually had with her friends; this was her unruly first years who need a talking to from a prefect voice. They all listened, Ginny stirring and blinking in the direction of the buzzing noise.

"There are six days until the debate, and you are going to collapse if you don't rest! You have read everything that is possibly pertinent twice, your notes are perfect, and, you've certainly become familiar enough with your information to present it well." Unfortunately, at some point during the lecture both had fallen asleep. She pretended not to notice. "Now," she said, pulling out her wand, "you are going to go to the kitchens." And she levitated them up with a quick snap of her wrist and a few words, leading them out of the library.

"That wasn't very nice, Hermione," Ron muttered. "I was about ready to jump Harry, there!"

"It was the quickest thing to do to get him somewhat cognizant. I want them to know what they're eating."

"Well, I really need to talk to Harry! Since I - fell- this morning, I haven't had a chance to tell him about Cadogan's tattoo."

"You fainted, Ron."

"I did not! It was just a slight fall, because of the shock!"

"The facts still remain; you fainted, and I didn't."

"Whatever," Ron muttered grumpily.

Hermione grinned, chanced a glance behind her to check that the pair were well set, and blanched. The lead spells had been very carefully set apart, but the two had still managed to wind up entangled.

Ron started to turn his head. "What are you looking at, Mione?"

She went paler still, forcibly yanking the leads to separate them. Ron would not be happy if he saw this...

He turned back to their path without glimpsing them, saying with a laugh, "I guess that I should watch where we're going, since you aren't. They're out cold, anyway; I don't think that anything that I could have done would have woken them more than for a few seconds."

"Oh- um, thank you, Ron," Hermione forced out. They will not come apart- they're stuck! Oh, no... If Ron sees this and tries to get them...

He turned around, having stopped at an intersection of halls. "I forgot to ask... Where are we going? To check if anyone is still around in the Great Hall, or the lounge, or the kitchens? - And where are they?"

Hermione ducked out of a very convenient slight door that she had jumped into and back into the hallway, leaving Harry and Ginny to follow out of sight. "Slight detour- now turn back around, I want to get them to the kitchens right away."

"Whatever you say, Mione. I know that you aren't trying to hide anything from me."

* * * * *

The house elves were in a right state, preparing dish after dish for their greatly loved Headmaster (who was still recovering up in his room after coming to with surprising difficulty). He had been heard to mutter, "I don't believe it... I don't believe it..."

Platters were filled with meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, and dairies, but the majority of them were buried under (the only remaining food group, I think...) sweets. All kinds of sweets, kept in a special store for Dumbledore and regularly refilled. It had to be refilled regularly, and by regularly it is meant every other day, considering the rate he went through them.

Muggle and magical, treats of all kinds were found. Snickers, treacle, lemon drops, chocolate frogs, cockroach clusters, and even the occasional canary cream; "To keep me on my toes," a smiling Dumbledore had kindly explained to the wide-eyed head-elf.

Needless to say, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny did not get the usual all-willing welcome usually given. They were appraised by the now aged head-elf, who had learned what was up and what was down, and who knew that these four had the support of Dumbledore. They were each apportioned an elf.

"Master Potter! It be Master Potter and his Wheezy! Oh, sir!" Dobby rushed towards the group, going straight past Ron (who had stepped up importantly as 'Master Potter's Wheezy') and instead going straight towards the sleeping but thankfully separated debating partners.

He shook them slightly. "Master Potter? Is you coming to see Dobby? Where is you, sir? Where is you?" he asked shaking them each a little harder.

"Dobby," Hermione intervened, "give them some rest. We want to pick up some food, and then get them up to bed." She ignored Ron, who was kicking the floor at the slight Dobby had given him.

"Of course!" Dobby cried, wide-eyed. "I knows that they have been working so I made thems a- a- a good-luck charm!" He held out two matching wool socks, both bright, garish orange with the unmistakable silhouettes of Ginny and Harry, lips barely touching. "Would you be giving them to them, when theys be waking up?"

Hermione looked at the design, and tried not to laugh. "Of course, Dobby. I won't forget," she reassured. Might have a bit more trouble trying to keep Ron from burning them, though...

Ron, who had not yet seen the pattern, looked at Dobby in surprise. "Why are there two matching ones, Dobby?"

"Why, there be one for each, sir! Because they is a team!"

"That is entirely too true. Let me look at them, Hermione?" he asked, holding out his hands.

* * * * *

"Ron, I already told you, you are not allowed to use the socks as fire-starters. Find something else- all that parchment that you didn't use on your three-foot long charms essay?"

"Hermione, you don't understand." Ron had nearly given up the argument, which had continued as they left the kitchens, took the seven-course dinner, Harry, and Ginny, up to their common rooms, settled the sleepers comfortably (and several couches away from each other) and ate themselves, when he got a brilliant idea.

"I know! You don't have to consider it a funeral pyre, how about a sacrificial burning? To show how much we are willing to give up in support of them!"

Hermione just looked at him.

"Or, not."

"You bet it's 'or, not', Ron. They're not yours, you know. We'll give them to them, and they'll probably wear them. You have no right to change that. I will give you one concession, however..."

"Well? What is it?" Ron asked impatiently.

"You can show them the pictures of Cadogan's tattoo. The looks on their faces will more than make up for everything else, and, who knows- they might faint like you did!" Hermione giggled, unable to look Ron in the eyes.

"I did not faint!" He scowled at her, but couldn't keep a straight face either. "It will be funny. I'll show them the pictures, you make sure you've got your camera ready!"

A/N: There, that was longer. I feel better now. Anyway, tra-la-la:

Thanks to Harry Potter- I'm glad you like my interesting Snape. Snape just seems to be begging for some hair-color change, but maybe that's just me- and the anonymous reviewer- I like the tattoo too. Or something like that.

Many thousands of thanks!

Tah!