A/N: Hey everyone. I'm really sorry for not updating as fast as I usually do. My uncle died last week and I got a bit depressed and couldn't get myself to write. Please forgive me if this chapter sucks, I'm still a bit sad. I also had some writer's block and I didn't know what to do in this chapter. Also, ff.net is being a bitch right now so I can't upload this chapter. Sorry again for the wait and the crapiness of this chapter. Oh yeah, my brother got out of summer school this week so I might not be updating so soon either. Sorry once again. One more thing (I keep on saying this, don't I?), I changed the song of the last dance because I found a better one. Y'all might want to check it out. And I'm currently resisting the urge to start writing other stories because I have so many ideas floating around my head. I've written the first chapter of two stories but I haven't posted them because then people will be mad when I don't update them. However, I have considered writing up a one-shot story, so I might get that up soon. I'm also trying to set an amount of words minimum so the chapters will be a bit longer, but I won't stray on just so I reach the minimum. And the part when Hermione is reading her book and that person interrupts her isn't going to be stupid. Trust me! Thanks for reading this.
Disclaimer: Look, I'm putting in a disclaimer, which means I'm disclaiming. Now, this story is under Harry Potter, so that would mean that I'm disclaiming Harry Potter, y'dig?
~
Draco Malfoy and Justin Finch-Fletchley ran up the stairs towards the prefect dorms with Hermione Granger and Padma Patil laughing insanely on their backs. The boys came to an abrupt halt and let go of the girls, who plopped onto the cold stone. They turned to Padma and Hermione, grinning like idiots.
"Hey," Padma started, "What was that for?"
"Well, my dear, you and Miss Granger here promised us piggy back rides and we've decided we'd like them now." Justin declared, still grinning.
The girls scowled and got up. Hermione said, "C'mon, let's go. I'm wicked tired and my feet are killing me." She limped toward the stairs with Padma. Out of nowhere, both boys jumped onto their backs, sending the four toppling to the floor, giggling like mad.
Draco got up, rubbing his head gingerly. He turned to Hermione and complained playfully. "Geez, don't you know how to give a decent piggy back ride? Honestly, you two can't even keep steady." Hermione rolled her eyes and got up again.
"Seriously, let's go. Hermione need sleep." She said.
"Yeah," Padma said, "I'm totally beat. Besides, we should get ready for that ass whooping that Roger and Katie are going to give us. Might as well have a good night's sleep before we die."
Hermione's face became serious again and she replied, "What if they take away our badges? My parents would kill me!"
"Who cares? At least we'll have some sleep. I think they should have their badges away. They didn't even help us set up or clean. All they did was lock us in the rooms without our wands." Justin said.
Draco moaned and collapsed on Hermione's shoulder. "Carry me!"
She stuck her tongue out at him and proceeded to drag him all the way to the dorms. By the time she dumped his body on the couch, she was gleaming with sweat. She prodded him with her finger. He was actually asleep! Sighing, Hermione grabbed the Slytherin blanket and draped it over him.
Hermione whispered a 'Goodnight' to him and trudged up her stairs.
~
Hermione was awake at six o' clock. She wrote a nice little letter to her parents while waiting for the others to get up. Finally, at seven, everyone was awake.
"Morning all." Hermione said cheerfully. "Ready for our final day alive?" Everyone grunted in response.
"C'mon." Justin said. "We should go down together. Maybe we could get a little cleaning done." He was greeted by more grunts. Laughing, he led them out of the common room. When they reached the doors, they could tell that Katie and Roger had already been there. They were yelling at no one in particular. Cautiously, they entered the Great Hall. It seemed that Katie and Roger didn't notice them. Draco, deciding he wanted to be noticed, spoke up.
"G'morning our dear, dear heads!" He said in a cheery voice. The furious seventh years turned toward his voice, glaring, and everyone winced under their death stares.
Still glaring, Roger said angrily, "What the hell is this?! You four were supposed to clean up the Great Hall last night!" Katie was standing next to him, looking murderous.
She suddenly burst out, her face extremely red, "YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE RESPONSIBLE, AND YOU LEAVE THE GREAT HALL IN A MESS?? I HAVE NO IDEA WHY PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE APPOINTED YOU LAZY SONS OF—"
A throat cleared behind Katie and she whipped her head around, still fuming. There stood Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape, the latter two looking extremely deadly. The sides of Dumbledore's mouth were twitching slightly and there was a noticeable twinkle in his eye.
"Would you like to finish that sentence, Miss Bell?" Snape said, still looking deadly. Professor McGonagall was standing behind him, glaring her eyes, mouth forming that familiar thin line.
"Professors! Headmaster!" Katie gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "I-I-I was j-just…" Katie gave a terrified squeak and looked toward the floor ashamed.
McGonagall gave her a stern look and said, "I will not tolerate that kind of language coming from the Head Girl! Please refrain from yelling loudly so early in the morning, you'll wake everyone in the castle! Even Hagrid could hear you!"
Roger and Katie looked up apologetically and nodded their heads.
"Now, why in the world is the Great Hall in such a state as this!" Snape asked, looking around the room.
Katie looked back menacingly at the four prefects and said, pointing at them, "Ask them. They were supposed to clean everything up last night."
Snape rounded on the others, the guilt etched in each of their faces. Growling, he said, "Well? Explain yourselves!"
Draco looked at everyone else and said in a controlled voice, "Well, Katie and Roger left us to clean the Great Hall without our wands. We cleaned up for about two hours-" Hermione had made a small sound and Draco glanced at her, then continued, "-and decided it was getting too late. We wanted to sleep so we decided to try to get here early to clean up. We found Roger and Katie in here and you came in."
Snape studied Draco's face then nodded. Dumbledore stepped forward and Hermione thought he was about to scold them, but was surprised to see a smile on his ancient face. "Well, you four did need some rest after yesterday night." With one swish of his wand, the hall was cleared and the four house tables were back in their places. "You four," He said, looking at the prefects, "Please try to take your responsibilities responsibly." Dumbledore chuckled at his own joke and continued, "I realize you were tired, but that is no reason to abandon your job. You will not be punished, but take this as a warning. Understood?"
Everyone nodded and the professors went to sit at the head table. With one last glare, Katie and Roger departed.
Wiping her brow, Hermione piped up, "Whew, that was a close one!" She suddenly smacked Draco upside the head and he turned to her, bemused.
"What the hell was that for?"
Smacking him again, she replied, "For making me ditch yesterday! We could've lost our badges because of you! The only reason we got off was because your Snape's favorite student!"
Scowling, Draco stuck out his tongue at her and said, "Fine! You're no fun…" He added under his breath.
"I heard that!"
"Whatever."
The rest of the day went fairly quickly. Hermione had gotten a chance to catch up with Ron and they talked for hours. Ron had told her how he felt for Lavender, and Hermione smiled, hiding her guilty selfishness of how Lavender had taken away her Ronniekins.
Smiling again, Hermione said, "Ron, I am so proud of you! You know," Hermione said in an undertone, "I think maybe you should spend more time with Ginny. You know, she's been a bit lonely lately. I've been spending time with her but she seems really lonely."
Ron cast a concerned look over at his sister, who was sitting in a chair in a corner reading a book, and answered, "Yeah, I guess. She really misses Fred and George. You know, after last year." Hermione knew instantly that Ron was talking about when Fred and George had left Hogwarts. Ginny was really close to them and she missed them so.
He continued and Hermione listened carefully. "Y'know, I reckon I should spend more time with her. Maybe I'll take a walk with her." He got up and Hermione did the same. Ron hugged her close and whispered, "Hermione, I'm truly sorry for avoiding you these past days. I hope you forgive me. I genuinely regret that."
Hermione closed her eyes and hugged Ron back. "Seriously, Ron, you can stop apologizing. When I look into your eyes, I can totally tell you're being 100% honest." Letting go of Ron, she smiled again and watched him walk to his sister. She gazed at the pair talking, and watched Ginny smile and shake her head. The two Weasleys walked out of the common room.
Hermione suddenly felt alone, so she grabbed her bag and rummaged through. Finally, she found her favorite read: Hogwarts: A History. Finding her place, she settled herself in her favorite chair, getting lost in the pages.
About fifteen minutes after she cracked open her book, Hermione noticed a tall form standing in front of her, blocking all her light. Not looking up from the book, she said, "Kindly move, you're blocking my light." The figure didn't move. It just stood there, still blocking all the light.
Frustrated because she was just getting to how they built the Gryffindor Tower, she stood up, ready to tell this person off. She looked into dazzling green eyes and rolled her own. The identity of the light stealer was revealed. It was Harry Potter.
Moving to the couch and laying down on it, taking up the whole thing, Hermione said uninterestedly, now scanning the pages, "Yes, Harry? Is this really important because I'm just about to get to the good part in my book." Hermione took up the whole couch just so Harry wouldn't try to sit next to her. The surrounding Chairs were already filled, so that was a plus.
"Er, Hermione?" She nodded, still reading. "Um, do you think we could go and take a walk or something?"
"Must we do this now, Harry? I'm really into this book and I don't want to lose my interest." Hermione replied, hoping he would leave soon.
"Um, seriously Hermione, can we please talk or something?" Harry was now fidgeting and biting his lip.
Hermione rolled her eyes behind her book and chanced a glance at Harry. She raised her eyebrow and nodded her head.
Harry, suddenly happy, exclaimed, "Great! Let's go!" He grabbed her arm and was dragging her toward the portrait when she wrestled her arm away.
"Wait, Harry. I have to get my scarf. It's bloody November. Wickedly cold weather, remember?" Hermione said and went to her dorm, taking her time. She saw Draco, Padma, and Justin sitting in front of the fire playing a Muggle game she recognized as LIFE. Grinning she waved at them and called out, "Hey, why do you have a Muggle game?"
Beaming widely, Justin answered, "Since it's our Thanksgiving break, we told Dumbledore how bored we were and he gave us this. We even asked him to play but he politely refused. Wanna join us?" Padma and Draco were looking at her hopefully but she shook her head.
"Sorry, I have to do something." She frowned as she thought of how much fun they were having, longing to join them. "Maybe I'll catch a game with you later? Have fun!" She exited the portrait hole and waved.
Padma nodded and called after her retreating form, "Have fun whatever you're doing!"
~
Hermione found Harry waiting in the Gryffindor Common Room and walked towards him. "Well, Harry? Where are we walking?"
"Out on the grounds, I think."
The pair walked out of the doors and circled around the lake. It was mid afternoon and the grounds by the lake was foggy. Looking up, Hermione saw that the sky was giving off a gloomy look, and it was also foggy. She could barely see two redheads sitting on a rock near Hagrid's house, petting a black lump she recognized as Fang the boarhound. Hermione was still waiting for Harry to speak up, but he didn't for about ten minutes. Fed up, she spoke up angrily, "Harry! Are you ever going to talk or can I get back to my book!"
*~*
"Hey, Ron, is that Hermione and Harry over there by the lake?" Ginny questioned, pointing at a large hazy figure prowling around.
Ron turned his head and squinted toward the lake. Yes, it was indeed Harry and Hermione. He could recognize Harry's tall profile and could barely make out Hermione's bushy hair. It was no doubt his two best friends.
"Yep, it's them. Wonder what they're doing out on the grounds?"
Shrugging, Ginny replied, "Dunno. I bet Hermione doesn't really fancy being with him. She told me she just about hated him for what he said to her the night of the dance."
"Really? What did Harry say to her?" Ron said, gaining interest.
"Oh, you don't know? Well, after he saw you two dancing, he went to find Hermione and interrupted she and Draco when they were talking in the garden. He said something like, 'I'm ready to accept your apology.' Then she said, 'what do you mean by that?' and he said, 'You know, for not spending time with me the last few months.' Yeah, then she stopped talking to him because she didn't want to get in another row."
Gaping, Ron replied, "Really? Wow, I never knew Harry could be like that."
Sighing, Ginny said, "Yeah, neither did I." Trying to get her mind off Harry, she quickly changed the subject, though she was still watching Harry and Hermione circle the lake. "So, Ron, how are things going with you and Lavender Brown?"
Ron turned to his sister and said with a smile, "Oh, it's going great. I think I'm in love, Gin. I never really knew this feeling! It's wonderful, totally wonderful."
Ginny turned to Ron and saw that he was blushing. "Oh Ron!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Ginny!" Ron gasped, his face reddening. "Ginny! You're choking me…" Ginny felt Ron's head loll onto her shoulder and let go, looking horrified. She looked closely at Ron's face and his eyes suddenly opened, causing Ginny to scream loudly. She was just about to retort at a laughing Ron until she saw what was happening just across the lake. Ron, noticing her face, turned and looked in the direction she was looking. He gasped too when he saw what he thought was happening.
"Oh…my…God…" Ginny said, tears threatening to spill out.
*~*
Harry turned to her slowly and looked into her eyes. He was biting his lip and said, "I-I think th-that…" But whatever he thought she never found out. Harry stopped talking and suddenly did something that Hermione certainly didn't expect him to do.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her on the lips.
*~*~*
A/N: Sorry if that chapter sucked a lot. I'm still a bit depressed and I didn't put my heart into this. Maybe if I feel better I'll re-write it. And, sorry again, I just had to do that because I felt like it. Y'dig? Heehee, ok, here's my shout-outs!
Kili-2: Thanks! Sorry that I didn't have this out that soon.
Willow: Hmmm, maaaaaybe! Thanks!!
Lady Malfoy: Eep, I'm sorry for taking so long. Had some stuff to deal with. You understand, don't you? Thanks for reviewing!
Lifes-mysteries18: Oh yes, very naughty! I like being naughty. Uh, that sounded a bit…wrong, didn't it? And Blaise is just some genderless Slytherin. IT's hardly ever mentioned so don't worry about it.
Meg: Hey, thanks for reviewing again! You were one of the few that actually replied to my question! I haven't started on either because I'm trying to concentrate on this story.
Athena Knox: YAY!! My story loves you back!
Lil' Fairy: I'm taking your advice on this one or a while. I want to be close to the ending when I'm going to start on a new fic just so I won't have too many stories to update. Sorry, Harry was always stupid about girls (in my mind, anyway)! I hope that last bit didn't bother you too much. Don't worry, Ginny WILL find someone, just wait!
Hermione Malfoy: Yes, I'm itching to start writing Stupid Cupid! I already have all these ideas on how to start it and how everything goes and such. Argh, I can't wait till I'm almost done with this story because that's when I'm allowing myself to start writing another story.
Serpena: Yeah, I didn't like my earlier chapters but hopefully I'm getting better. Thanks for reviewing!
Jess: Hehe, just felt like adding that for fun! Thanks for reviewing!
Draco_is_mine: *giggle* Don't worry darling, I promise they will kiss soon. I just don't want things going too fast, y'dig(I love saying that!)?
Suicidaltendencies: Actually, I have seen many people use those same people for prefects. I asked my cousin if I should use Hannah Abbot and Terry Boot instead but she told me to use those instead. It's not unusual to see the same people used in different stories. Um, I really hate Christina Aguilera (the "grown-up one, anyway, though her voice is amazing!), it's just that I needed something slutty for Pansy to dance to.
Draco M.: Exciting? Hard to say, but it's a bit difficult to write something exciting when the person writing isn't exciting (i.e. Me). But I'll try just for you! Oh yeah, thanks for emailing me about this story, that was really sweet!
LittoAngel: Thanks! You're such an angel! It's really great to see a new reviewer!
Fiery-Chan: Hey, you're the lucky one! You only had to wait about a day for a new update! YAY FOR FIERY-CHAN!!
A/N: Well, that's all. It's 2:00 AM here and I'm not even sleepy. If you feel like it, you can check the previous chapter and see what I changed the song to. Much better than the old one, in my opinion! Thanks everyone for the reviews and keeping with me on this.