Ok, so I haven't worked on this for like half a year ^^; I sort of lost interest in this fic, but I'm gonna finish it anyway (eventually). The style will probably be a little different, so just bear with me. Also, I know the 5th book is out, but I haven't read it, and this fic was started waaay before it was out…so I guess you would call it kinda AU now, hmmm? Well, I hope you like it. It's over double the length of my previous chapters ^_^ I'm hoping I'll get the next chapter finished soon but, knowing me, it could be another half a year. Although I hope not. ^^; Enjoy!

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Nervously Hermione pulled out her pocket mirror and, for about the twentieth time in the space of ten minutes, rechecked her hair and makeup. Putting the mirror back in her pocket, she looked at her watch. Harry should be arriving in a few minutes. Earlier that day Harry had approached her and asked if they could speak in private. Naturally, she had agreed. So, here she was, sitting on a worn old couch in the Gryffindor common room long after lights out.

She wondered what it was he wanted to talk about. He had given no indication as to what it might be, just saying that he wanted to talk to her alone. Hermione knew what it was she wanted to hear from him. She had the whole scenario worked out in her mind. Harry would walk up to her, black hair falling across his emerald eyes, which looked into hers longingly. He would pull her up from the couch, take her in his arms, and proclaim his love for her. Then he would lean forward and capture her lips in his own. Slowly his hand would-

Suddenly Hermione was interrupted from her reverie by the sound of footsteps on the steps to the boys' dormitories. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, to see Harry's head appear in mid-air, followed by the rest of his body as he pulled off the invisibility cloak he had been concealed beneath.

As usually happened when she was in the presence of her dream boy, her heart sped up, and her stomach fluttered slightly. There was just something about Harry that excited her. Although she wasn't an exception. Most of the girls in her year had had a crush on Harry at one point, and nearly all of those still did. She also suspected there were a few boys who thought of Harry in more than just a friendly way.

Now, Hermione wasn't being conceited, but deep down she felt that, realistically, she was the one who had the best chance with Harry. After all, she had been his best friend for 5 years.

She slid up the couch and patted the space she had made, inviting Harry to sit down. He sat and there was a brief silence as he seemed to wrestle with something in his mind. 'Must be trying to think of the best was to tell me he loves me' Hermione thought to herself. Shifting nervously, Harry glanced across at Hermione.

"Ok I'm just going to come straight out and say it, get this over with." Harry looked at Hermione with his clear green eyes, then turned his gaze to his hands which were anxiously twisted in his lap. He took a deep breath.

"Hermione…I'm gay."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. All ideas of lines to follow Harry's 'I love you Hermione' flew out of her head. She sat looking at Harry in shock until he broke the silence. "Are you disgusted?"

After a moment, she replied. "No, not disgusted. Just surprised." Which was the truth. She was extremely surprised. After all, she had been expecting Harry to proclaim his undying love for her, but here he was telling her he was gay. It wouldn't have been as bad if he had just told her he had a crush on another girl, crushed passed, but here he was telling her he went for a completely different gender. Yes, she was surprised, but she had nothing against gays, so she wasn't disgusted. She refocused her shocked mind as Harry spoke again.

"And I uh…I have a crush on Ron."

This time Hermione's mouth dropped open. She quickly regained control and snapped it shut, as her brain began to whirr into action. So, Harry fancied Ron. Great. Her best friend, whom she had a huge crush on, fancied her other best friend. And, although she hated to admit it, Harry and Ron had a much bigger chance of getting together than she and Harry did.

Harry was a teen, so he was probably just going through the phase that most teens went through, of questioning his sexuality. Most teens went through it, and the majority of them grew up to be one hundred percent heterosexual. In reaching this conclusion, Hermione felt slightly relieved. She still had a chance with Harry. "I've nothing against gays Harry, and nothing against you being gay," she told him soothingly "but I don't think you should come to such a definite decision about your sexuality just yet. I mean, it could just be a teenage phase."

Harry looked at her doubtfully. "Well even if it is just a phase, I still uh…fancy Ron, and I'd really like your advice on what to do about my feelings. I mean, should I act on them? How d'ya think Ron would react?" His expression had turned pleading, and Hermione suddenly felt very sorry for him. He looked so vulnerable, sitting there with his hands still twisted in his lap, gnawing on his lower lip, fringe flopping over one eye – and also incredibly sexy. Hermione had good reason to believe that Ron was in fact gay, and did possibly have a crush on Harry. She'd seen the way his eyes were always drawn to Harry like iron filings to a magnet, seen the way he checked out Harry's cute little ass, and seen the way he blushed whenever they accidentally touched. Yes, she thought that Ron Weasley fancied Harry Potter. And she thought that he would probably react like a child finding out their parents had just bought Disneyland if Harry asked him out. But of course, she didn't tell Harry all this.

"Harry" she said gently "I think it's best if you keep your feelings to yourself for a while. I know you really like Ron at the moment, but I'm sure it'll pass."

"Do you think he'd hate me if he knew how I felt?" Harry asked sadly.

"No, course he wouldn't! I just don't think you should rush into anything. And I don't mean to upset you, but I don't really think Ron's the type to, y'know, go for other guys." So she'd told a teeny tiny lie –in the end it was best for Harry. And although she suspected that Ron was gay, she didn't know he was, so it wasn't a full-blown lie. At least, this is what Hermione tried to convince herself.

After about five more minutes of Hermione soothing him whilst subtly convincing him, in the nicest way possible, that he didn't have a chance with Ron, Harry donned the invisibility cloak and set off back up to his room. He had had a sort of bewildered expression on his face as Hermione talked to him, obviously confused that she was basically telling him that his feelings for Ron were totally unreturned. Hermione sat on the couch for a full ten minutes after Harry left, contemplating what had happened. She did feel a certain amount of guilt for misleading Harry but, in the end, it all came down to the fact that she wanted Harry and, she told herself firmly, she was going to get him, no matter what. This decided, she stood up and positively marched back to her dorm room, already planning her next move.

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated ^_^

Skye xXx