Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I own only the plot and my devilish mind.

A/N: Quicker update, eh? Anyway, some reviewers said that they caught the hints, but I didn't specify what kind of hints. If the hints you caught are Harry's eyes lightening and darkening, well…you sort of caught it, but that isn't the ones I meant. You'll find out what I meant in this chapter! Hope you like it.

THE MAGIC OF LOVE

By: Katrina Three Pleasant Surprise

It was plain impossible to fall asleep that night. Hermione was very hungry, her stomach empty and incessantly gnawing, and she was even more worried. Finally, when her neck started to ache from lying in the same position for so long, she got up from her bed and went to the window to gaze outside at the dark sky with its twinkling stars.

Why hadn't Ron, Ginny, and Harry been able to recognize and remember her? Why weren't they like her as well? Hermione was starting to believe that she was the only one in this predicament, and that Ron, Ginny, and Harry did tell the truth when they claimed that they didn't know her and that they weren't in a world different than the one they were used to. Then how come I'm here? Hermione wondered, running a hand through her brown hair in a frustrated manner. What is it about me that I have to be transported to a completely warped world?

It simply didn't make sense. Nothing did. She would've understood if Harry were transported here. After all, it might be something with Voldemort—wait a minute, Hermione thought, realizing what she had just thought. Harry. She remembered back to the conversations she'd had with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Ron and Ginny, unless they had wonderful acting skills, were from the world. Ron she didn't know, but Ginny, she was sure, would at least tell her if it had been otherwise. But Harry.

Excitedly, Hermione stood up. She knew that something had been bothering her about the brief meeting with Harry. It could be deliberate or accidental, but Harry had dropped hints. He had dropped a hint for her.

"Do you know me?"

"I do now. Your name is Hermione…meddling Ravenclaw prefect…"

Why didn't she realize it before? Not once in the whole conversation did she mention her name. Or the fact that she was a Ravenclaw, a prefect at that. He had been watching her. And the fact that he knew her name simply gave everything away. Unless he suddenly became interested in a Ravenclaw whom he had little contact with, why would he inquire about her name? Her anything, for that matter.

Hermione thought back to the Potions class. Harry was late too. Knowing Harry's extreme dislike for both the course and the professor, she knew that he would never be tardy and give Snape anything to tell him off about unless…unless he didn't know he had Potions. Just like Hermione, he had no idea about the schedule he supposedly was to have in the world. And didn't his eyes flicker over to her as he entered the classroom? Also, when she claimed to Madam Pomfrey that she was from another world, Madam Pomfrey had said…something about only the worst troublemaker had claimed such a thing. The worst troublemaker. Hermione looked toward the sleeping Padma, remembering how her face had scrunched up with dislike as she spoke of Harry. Harry. Of course, Harry had claimed the same thing to Poppy. He is from wherever and whenever I'm from.

As relief seeped over Hermione, a question pestered her. Why didn't Harry admit that he was the Harry she knew? Why couldn't he trust her? Was it because of the fact that he tried to tell it to his Slytherin housemates and they didn't believe him? Hermione leaned her forehead against the cool windowpanes. Harry must've been scared. He must've known something else about this other than she does. He was trying to act the part of evil Harry, Harry the curse. She stared outside, and in the darkness she caught the familiar shape of a snowy white owl, soaring through the night air.

It was time to have another talk with Harry, and resolution made, Hermione went back to bed for a dreamless night.

~*~

"What do we have?" Hermione asked the next morning, as she wolfed down bacons and toast as if she had never eaten.

Padma shoved Hermione her schedule. "For you, you have Divination."

Hermione choked. "Divination?" she said. "That's horrible!"

"I know!" Padma agreed, but for a different reason than Hermione's. "You have to take it with those horrible Slytherins, including Harry Potter." She rolled her eyes. "I heard he's at the top of his class somehow. Probably cursed Trelawney to give him top grades. Mind you, I won't mind seeing that overgrown bat blown up. She predicted that I would one day be married to the hunchback of Notre Dame."

"Oh."

Hermione tried to hide her excitement as she gulped down her pumpkin juice. Could luck be on her side for once? I can ambush Harry on the way and force him to talk to me. Hermione stole a glance at Harry on the Slytherin house table, and from the surprised look he had on his face and the abrupt way he turned, he must've been watching her for a while as well.

"What's so horrible about Harry Potter, anyway, besides the fact that he's a bit conceited?" Hermione asked in interest.

Padma wrinkled her nose in disgust. "For one thing, he has absolutely no respect whatsoever to anyone who isn't a pureblood. Not even half-bloods. You remember, he called you a 'Mudblood' last time when the Ravenclaws won the Quidditch match over the Hufflepuffs. That's the kind of person he is."

"Why would he call me a 'Mudblood' when we win the Quidditch match?" Hermione asked stupidly.

"Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed again?" Padma asked, laughing. "Of course he would call you a Mudblood. You are the Quidditch captain."

"I'm a what?" sputtered Hermione, choking for the second time in five minutes. "Are you serious?"

"Hermione, go see Madam Pomfrey!" said Padma. "Influenza is no silly business."

And I thought things couldn't get any worse. Hermione absolutely detested flying, especially in front of everyone. She could never understand how Harry and Ron could fly in the air without tumbling off their brooms. She didn't dare asking Padma what position she played. Hermione finished up her bacons and toasts as quickly as she could and took up her bag. "I'm going to Trelawney now," she said, disguising the eagerness in her voice. "Meet you in…er…um…"

"Charms," said Padma. "And as soon as Charms is over, off to Pomfrey you go."

Hermione pretended to grin and nod. She looked at the Slytherin table again. Harry was no longer there. As she passed the table on her way to the North Tower, a girl stopped her. "Are you Hermione Granger?" she asked, dislike written all over her face.

"I think so," Hermione answered. "Why?"

"Harry wanted me to give this to you," the girl said, pressing a crumpled sheet of parchment in her palm.

Hermione looked at her in perplexity and opened up the parchment with curiosity. Written in Harry's familiar scrawl were the words meet me in the library before lunch. I need to talk to you. Harry.

"Well, what does it say?" the girl demanded.

"Nothing," lied Hermione. "Just the usual Slytherin remarks."

"I thought so."

Hermione couldn't keep the grin off her face all morning, even when Trelawney predicted that she would suffer a horrible fall from her broom. She looked across the room at the Slytherins, where Harry was eyeing her with a strange look in his eyes. Not a smiling look, but comforting all the same.

After Charms, Padma insisted that Hermione go visit Pomfrey. "Hermione, you have got to go and check if your brain is damaged by the flu," she said. "My Muggle fourth cousin had it once-and she suffered some memory loss afterwards."

"Um…sure, but you go to lunch. I'll go myself," Hermione said authoritatively. Hey, she was the Arithmancy professor!

"You should really go!!" called Padma as she ran off in the direction of the Great Hall. And then, she added as an afterthought, "And better not lose the Quidditch match tomorrow!"

Oh, great. Still, Hermione was too excited to be much bothered by the unexpected news. She pretended to head in the direction of the hospital wing, but when Padma turned out of sight, she dashed toward the library. She could go there blindfolded, for it was a common joke among the Gryffindors that if you ever need to see Hermione, go to the library.

The library seemed pretty empty. Madam Pince merely looked up and acknowledged Hermione with a brief nod, knowing the girl's inclination to go to the library. At least that didn't change, Hermione thought dryly, looking around. All the chairs were empty. Nobody else but she and Madam Pince seemed to be here. Could he have forgotten? Hermione wondered worriedly.

Not to appear suspicious or stupid, Hermione started to stroll down the bookshelves, pretending to look up a title. Suddenly, there was a rustle behind her and something was slipped over her head and a hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her surprised cry. "It's me," said Harry's voice. "I'm under the Invisibility Cloak because I don't want any unnecessary rumors to go around. Follow me."

With a hand on Hermione's shoulder, Harry led her to the shelf just before the Restricted Section, farthest from Madam Pince's view. Then he slipped off the cloak, folded it, and placed it under his robes. Hermione hugged him joyously. "Oh Harry, am I glad to see you! I almost thought that you were just like Ron and Ginny and I'm the only one who isn't from this world if it weren't for the hints you dropped."

"I know," Harry said. "I wasn't sure if I could trust you or not, so I dropped that hint outside the Great Hall yesterday. I thought that you were a Hermione Granger from this world. After how I tried to tell Madam Pomfrey and Ron, and how they acted really hostile toward me because I was taking up their time with nonsense and that I'm a Slytherin, I wasn't sure of who to trust anymore."

Hermione hugged Harry tighter. "It must've been hard," she said. "I saw you having to smirk and be mean like the rest of the Slytherins. And believe me, you almost convinced me!"

"Being with Malfoy helps," said Harry, but his tone wasn't as light as before. He gently broke the hug and stepped back a few steps. "Did you tell Dumbledore or any of the teachers what happened?"

Hermione shook her head. "How could I? After how everyone I did tell stares at me like a freak, I don't dare, not anymore at least."

Harry was quiet. "I don't think you should have anyway," he said. "This world-it isn't a real world. It's just a world of illusions conjured up by a dark spell. Everyone we know, including Ron and Ginny, they are merely shadows of the people we do know, created by a bunch of spells. Part of a dark plot."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. "I thought…I thought we were just brought here because we happened to fall in that portal thingy at the wedding."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," said Harry, and then, more to himself "Why didn't I realize it before?"

"Why didn't you realize what before?"

"That Christina is the Death Eater." Harry turned to face Hermione. "The kiss I gave to Christina. Her lipstick. It's charmed. It activated some dark spells and brought me here."

Hermione stared. "Christina? Your wife?"

"Not anymore, obviously," Harry said. "I've known all along that someone had been tracing everything I do and reporting it, someone close to me. You remember those near misses with Death Eaters a few days after I met Christina. And you remember how I meet her? I met her not in the Ministry as she told everyone including Ron and you, but in Three Broomsticks. I should've used my head, but she acted really charming and somehow I just fell for her." Hermione smiled bitterly, remembering how hard it was for her to get through these days after the engagement was announced. Harry sighed. "I guess it's my fault that both of us are here, but I can't figure out why I would be here."

"The house mixing," Hermione said. "Could it have something to do with you in Slytherin?"

Harry didn't get to answer. They suddenly heard footsteps approaching, apparently having heard people converse there and didn't see anyone. Quickly, Harry pulled a book from the shelf and started reading. Hermione took the hint and moved away from Harry, pretending to be entranced in a book called Wizards Who Pick Their Noses when Madam Pomfrey came here, looking at them suspiciously. "Not trying to go into the Restricted Section, I hope," she said.

"No, of course not," Hermione said.

"I heard you two talking back here, so I thought I'd check," said Madam Pomfrey, glancing around them. "Well, I'll be going then."

After Madam Pomfrey left, Harry turned to Hermione. "Do you know that you're the Quidditch captain?" he said, a trace of a grin on his face.

Hermione turned pink. "Please, Harry, don't remind me. What do I play? Beater?"

She prepared for the worst. "Actually," Harry said. "A Chaser." He saw the look of relief on Hermione's face and grinned. "And I'll see how good you're tomorrow. Slytherin versus Ravenclaw."

"You are kidding," Hermione gasped. "And you don't even act agitated that we might be stuck like this possibly forever, and possibly with some dark monster preparing to pounce on us any second now."

Harry grinned wider, but his green eyes were solemn, no sparkle in them now. "Meet me outside the Great Hall tomorrow," he whispered, leaning closer to her. "We need to talk, and I suspect that Dumbledore might be the only one who can help us. But I did owl Sirius just in case." That explains the owl. He put his hands on Hermione's shoulders, and Hermione felt a jolt of electricity searing through her body. "I'm glad that you are here with me," he said softly, "even though it's probably my fault that you're stuck here like this, playing Quidditch."

Hermione smiled. "I'm glad to be here for my best friend," she said sincerely.

Harry nodded. "Thanks. And Hermione, don't forget, we are still people who shouldn't be in the least bit cordial to the other to the outside world. Tomorrow, don't forget!"

With that, he pulled the cloak back over himself and disappeared. Hermione leaned back against the shelf, unable to digest all the information she'd just learned. Not about Quidditch. To the hell with Quidditch! She thought in annoyance. Harry is in danger now, and I should be worrying about how to help him. But she had no more idea about this whole ordeal than Harry. But Harry was right about one thing. She was in this together with him, and thinking of this Hermione was comforted, however slightly.

"Guess I really should play some Quidditch now, so I won't appear like a fool in front of everyone tomorrow," Hermione muttered to herself as she left the library, imagining everyone jeering at the captain getting hit by the Bludgers. "Especially not in front of Harry."

Her heart was suddenly beating very fast.

A/N: I like this chapter, actually, although you might not like it. H/Hr interaction, and the beginning of a beautiful romance…=) Getting carried away there. Anyway, hope you like it, and must I need to remind you guys to review? Drop one and I'll thank you to no end!

~Katrina

Immense thanks to:

Frostbite Panda-sorry! Um…need bandage? =) Does this clear something up?

RaistlinofMetallica-the update took so long because of my finals and my job, which are still going on right now. But I simply can't bring myself to study, so here's the update. Hope it's worth the wait.

zachg-I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about with star trek, but it's a compliment, right? =) Thanks! I hope to finish it by…er…yeah, someday.

A Sailors Girl-*blushes* gee thanks!

wildgoldowl-yeah! Good for you! I hope these are the hints you caught. ^^ Hope the third one didn't disappoint you.

Joan the Vampire Slayer-oh gee, thanks for the flattery! I happen to like this romance better than my D/G in that it seems better-written. The plot will develop more somewhat in the next chapter.

chickinlegs14-I'm blushing! Thanks! Glad you love my story. Now you found the answer…right? =P