A/N: Hi, folks; yes, this is a short chapter, but only because it thoretically needs to be connected to the last chapter. Like I said, updates will be coming more regularly now that I'm back at school…and yes, I understand that the opposite should be true, but you don't know how much of a procrastinator I am :P

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, etc. are the intellectual property of JKR; no infringement is intended. The excerpt that hereby follows was taken from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" as is cited below.

Chapter 6…ct'd

"In an hurried manner he immediately began an enquiry after her health, imputing his visit to a wish of hearing that she were better. She answered him with cold civility. He sat down for a few moments, and then getting up walked about the room. Elizabeth was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several minutes he came towards her in an agitated manner, and thus began, 'In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.'"1 You were reading what you had told me was the 'greatest romance novel of all time,' and though I was surprised that you even read such things, as your lilting voice reached my ears and you continued, I started realizing how very much like us Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy really were. You might not have thought me too proud, or anything of the sort, but our verbal sparring could rival theirs any day. It sort of warmed my heart to know that you loved this book so much because at the same time, I felt as though it meant you had a special fondness for us, too.

'Us,' would I ever get used to the fact that we were finally together? That now, when I wanted so badly to hold you, or to touch you, or to kiss you that I could. I was allowed to. It felt so surreal and so wonderful all at once. I hoped that we would never end up as one of those couples who took each other for granted. The very thought made me sick to my stomach, and I held you closer, pulling you against my chest where you instinctively snuggled closer, and I tucked your head under my chin. I could smell the faint scent of petunias—a flower whose name, as a self-respecting man, I never wo9uld have known much less recognized if it hadn't been for Herbology—and breathed it deep. I closed my eyes, sighing, taking-in the moment. I'd come to love this dingy dark corner of the library where we sat on the cold stone floor, my back against the cold stone wall. You'd put a warming spell on the stones under us to spare our behinds from becoming numb; the lighting was poor in this corner, which was probably why no students ever came here. The light from your wand shining on the pages of your books seemed to shatter the darkness around us, casting eerie shadows to appear and dance every time we moved. We rarely snogged, here; in fact, we never snogged here. The library had always been our sanctuary, the place where we could go to spend time alone together (which was made easy as most students tended to avoid this place, and Madam Pince, like the plague), where we could generally just talk, and 'be' together,' where we didn't snog, but did, on occasion, share a few stolen kisses. I placed such a kiss on your temple, my lips lingering close to your ear.

"I love being here with you," I whispered, and though this was the perfect time and place to tell you I loved you, even though every cell in my body was screaming it, even if it felt absolutely right to tell you, there was still something deep in my stomach that didn't feel right; that hadn't felt right since we'd gotten together.

"What's wrong, love?" You asked me, sensing the doubts running through my head. Those doubts were partly assuaged when you called me 'love.' True, it was one of those terms that people used all the time as they would use 'dear' or, Merlin forbid, 'shnookums,' but the fact that you never called Harry, or anyone else for that matter 'love,' and the fact that you called me that in private always seemed to warm my heart.

"I think we should tell Harry," I whispered. We'd never come right out and decided that we were going to hide this from him, but at the same time there had been an unspoken agreement that we should keep this new relationship to ourselves and figure it out before we let anyone else know about it. Not Ginny or any of my family knew about you and me, and though I knew that I would eventually tell them about it, it really felt wrong, now, that Harry didn't know yet. He was my best friend, our best friend, and we'd shared everything with him for the past six years. We'd been through everything together, had gone through traumas unimaginable for people so young as we, and yet we'd managed to pull through because we'd had each other to lean on. I knew he would be hurt and angry that we hadn't told him, but in time I also knew that he would understand why it was that we'd had to do this.

You looked at me, staring into my eyes as though you could read my very thought, and when you smiled and stretched yourself up to give my lips a quick, yet soft, reassuring kiss, my heart quickened and melted. "Let's go, then," you smiled again, snuggling into my embrace one last time before shutting your book and getting up, offering me your hand.

"R-right now?" I stuttered, nerves instantly catching up to me. You only smiled again and reached down to take my hand, pulling me up.

"No time like the present," you announced, raising my wrist to your lips and kissing the racing pulse point, which only increased at the feel of your mouth. I took a deep breath and nodded as we made our way back towards the common room. We'd been gone for almost two hours, and Harry would probably be wondering where we'd sneaked off to, anyway

I had expected to have to look for him once we'd made our way back to Gryffindor Tower, and I'd also expected for it to be somewhat of a difficulty to get him alone long enough for us to be able to tell him, but my heart leapt in my throat when we crossed the threshold of the portrait hole and found him sitting on an oversized chair by the fire, in the completely deserted common room. He looked as though he'd been waiting for us, which he probably had been, and glanced up when he heard us come in. He smiled.

"Did you have a nice time, then?" He asked, still smiling slightly, "find the book you were looking for?" and his grin widened.

"Well about that, Harry, Hermione and I have been meaning to talk to you about something," I began, giving your hand a squeeze for support, thankful for the contact that kept me from completely losing me ne—oh my bloody hell, your hand; I was still holding it! I'd never let go of it since we'd left the library! And, judging by the way your thumb was lazily sweeping back and forth over my wrist, it could leave nothing to doubt. I began to sweat as I looked at Harry who had a look of fake innocence plastered on his face, and the corners of his mouth also seemed to be twitching.

"Whatever could this be about?" he asked, his amusement now very obvious. He knew!!

"You bloody bastard, you knew!" I exclaimed, my mouth dropping at the shock.

"Oh is that what this is about?" he asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "well yes, if you must know, I found out about that, ages ago," he replied dismissively, now breaking out in a full grin, not bothering to conceal it in the least.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

"Oh, well I decided to let you have your fun, but if you must know, I've been quite peeved that you haven't told me until now. Very hurt, in fact," he replied, though it was quite obvious that he was cured of any hurt he might at one time have experienced. He'd moved on from 'hurt' to his 'lets torture them as much as I possibly can and see how much they'll squirm' stage.

"I, wh—" I was speechless, and apparently you were too for your mouth was hanging open—in a very sexy way, might I add—and you hadn't said anything yet.

"Just one favor, guys," Harry added," no snogging in front of me, all right?"

"Harry!" we both protested at once, partly outraged, though mostly embarrassed.

"We do not snog," you said in a voice that very much reminded me of our first year.

"Much…" I added, grinning as you socked me and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Now, now, both of you," Harry scolded, walking up to us and giving us both a hug. "What I want to know," he said when he pulled me down for a pat on the back, and a handshake, "is what took you guys so long."

Were you two in cahoots, or what!? Instead of answering, I tried to keep the blushing to a minimum and settled for looking down. I could feel your eyes on me, and when I looked up, you were sending me a look that very plainly said 'I told you so.' I loved you even more for it.

1 Austen, Jane. "Pride and Prejudice." The Complete Novels of Jane Austen: Seven Great English Classics. Toronto: Penguin, 1996. 223-445.