Weed, and American Mione, and starbeam13, and issa2, and obsessed4, and sky, and Eliza Evenstar, and SweetLi, and Hermione Green, and Feather0311, and Medy, and Isabella Grace, and Linda Ishtar, and ADJ, and Orion the Hunter, and habkubo, and keebler-elmo, and joe, and shdurrani, and CliodnaHPFan Thanks!

PadfootNoxed - Yeah, I thought if Dumbledore didn't do anything everyone would figure it out. Nope I got emails about How I tried to put one over on the readers. Devious me.

Burgundy - Hmmm, Ginny and Neville. Sounds good. thanks for the idea. :) j/k

Sami Potter - Bomb Butt Bombing. That's a knew one to me. But we've got to have snogging!

jandl - we shall see.

metsmaniac2ks - Ahhh, comforting Hermione ... I can just see her now.

LarcolTydol - Since when has Ron exercised logic?

~*~* - but is the feeling mutual?

Milkyway - Recommend away! and Thanks!

Duckymander - The star Sirius in the constellation Canus Major is also called the Dog Star. ff.net has a sister site. look for the link on the main page somewhere.

Lover5 - here's a taste, there will be more in the next chapter.

Aerin Dragon Killer - date of what, the wedding? in December, before Christmas as of now. Not tellin', and not tellin'.

A side note: I have been asked on a number of occasions in private and on the comment pages to read and review, look over and comment, co-write, etc. with people on their stories. The short answer is: While I am in the middle of this story I don't want to divert my time and creative energies away form writing. Every story I read, I try to at least make one comment. So hold on ... I'll get there eventually.

Second: I have also been asked on a number of occasions to "Email me when you put out a new chapter." Um ... come back everyday and there will be a new chapter if not 2 or 3. On my slow days I write one, like yesterday, but today I'll probably have 2. there's no need to email you. Book mark the story, or put it on your favorites list, or get an author alert. It's easier on you and me. My regular update times are generally around 12:00, 4:00, 10-12:00. Sometimes I post earlier or later like today this is posted around 12:30pm these are all CST.

Chapter 33

"You were brilliant, Harry. When did you learn that Charm?" asked Hermione on their way back from Defense practice.

"Professor Flitwick taught it to me for this week's lesson."

She stopped in the middle of the hall while the rest of them continued. "And you already have that kind of control?"

Harry stopped and turned around, "Um ... yeah, I guess. Well I practiced some in the common room last night."

Ron agreed, "You never had that type of control when we were all in Charms together, Harry."

He screwed up his face and continued down the hall, "Well, I don't have you two distracting me from my lesson now, do I."

Hermione looked offended, "I never ..."

Ron laughed, "Hey!"

They looked on and Ron turned to Hermione, "Come on -- we have to catch up to the new teacher's pet."

*********************

"Would you look at some of these things he put down." He passed the scroll to Hermione.

Ron looked over from his place at the table. "Grade level higher marks in all classes?" he groaned.

Neville dipped into his peach cobbler and was about to take a bite until Hermione stopped him. "Neville, you might want to enjoy that last dessert."

His eyes rotated to her. "Huh?"

She pointed to the scroll, "He wants all us in top physical condition."

He quickly thought of an excuse. "Bu ... but I need this for ... energy."

Harry frowned, "I've seen the members of the Order of the Ph ..."

Hermione gave him a scathing look. "Harry!"

He shrugged, "... of the other Order. They aren't in what I would call top physical condition."

"And they're all adults, aren't they," she reminded him. "Professor Dumbledore is making sure we all have every advantage we can get."

Ron pointed to a line he couldn't read. "What's this bit about Christmas Holiday?"

Hermione groaned, "That, and our Easter breaks. They've been taken up with training, except the day of. Well that was nice." Her breath caught.

"What?" asked Harry.

"The wedding."

He raised an eyebrow, "What about it?"

Hermione rolled up the scroll and almost tossed it at him in haste. "Harry, the wedding is less than two months away and I don't have a dress."

"I thought ...um ..."

She didn't let him finish.

"If you think we're getting married dressed in school robes, I will strangle you in your sleep, Harry Potter."

The expression on his face told her everything she wanted to know. That was exactly what he was thinking.

"Erm ... no ... of course not. Don't be silly. I thought your mother ..."

She stood up and made her way up to the teachers table, leaning over for a moment to speak to Dumbledore. He nodded and looked over to Harry briefly then chuckled and nodded again. Hermione turned with a satisfied look on her face and returned to her seat.

"What was all that about?" asked Ron.

"This weekend Harry and I are going to London."

"I'm what?"

She nodded and turned her head triumphantly, "You are getting a proper suit and I will be shopping for my wedding gown. Professor Dumbledore said he will arrange for bodyguards."

He looked over to Ron who seemed to find his snow peas particularly interesting at this point.

"And I'll have to view some bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen's suits."

"Bridesmaids?"

She looked up from ticking the items off her fingers, "Ginny do you have any spare parchment. I left my bag in my room. I cannot believe I have left everything until the last possible moment. What was I thinking?"

Harry started to become lost. "Well we have been rather bu..."

"Harry, do you think six bridesmaids is too much?"

He was too spooked to answer. "Um ..."

She answered her own question. "Yes, it is a bit of overkill. How about three."

Words were pouring out of her mouth so fast that Harry only caught about every third.

"Whodidyouwanttobegroomsmen? Ohmygosh, I forgot to ask ... Ginny!"

The little redhead jumped. "What?"

"You will be my Maid of Honor, won't you? Say you will, please."

Harry finally caught Ron's eye and he nodded twice toward the doors to the Great Hall. His friend got the hint.

"Harry, uh, weren't you going to help me with that charm for class tomorrow?"

He looked visibly relieved. "Oh, yeah I almost forgot with all the excitement. Mione, I need to help Ron with his homework."

She stopped and looked torn between needing Harry to provide answers to her million and one questions that were seemingly popping into her head, and seeing Ron actually want to study and asking him for help. However, she did come to a decision.

"I'll write down everything I can think of and we'll go over it tonight when you two are done, okay?"

Harry nodded quickly and joined Ron at the end of the table trying as hard as he could not to look like he was running out of the Great Hall.

********************

He wound up spending as much time as he dared sitting on Ron's bed as they went through three games of chess, before he gave up and called it a night.

"See ya, Harry."

He stopped before he opened the door. "Hey, Ron."

"Hmm?"

"Best Man?"

"Sure," he shrugged his shoulders. "See -- wasn't hard to figure things out."

"See ya, Ron."

Hermione was waiting for him at their desk as he stepped past the portrait. "I've been absolutely horrible, haven't I?"

He frowned, "What?"

"You've been up there playing wizard chess, haven't you?" she asked sadly.

Harry stepped closer and let her rest her head against his body. He stroked her hair and tried to sooth her hurt feelings. "Hermione, You set up this wedding the way you want. Just tell me what you want me to do and what you need and it's yours."

She wrapped her arms around his midsection, "Thank you."

His fingers trailed through her hair once more.

"Want to take me to bed and ravish me?"

Harry's hand stopped and then restarted, "Yes, but I promised your mother that I wouldn't until we were married."

She sniffed, "How about cuddling instead."

"That I can do."

She lead the way into the bedroom. "Would that be with or without bed-clothes?"

"Hermione!"

She held her hands up in defeat. "Just checking."

He heard her muttering on the way to the closet. "...think boys would be easy to seduce."

"We are," he said softly to himself.

**************************

The next morning at breakfast Ron caught a moment with Harry before Hermione sat down, "Get any sleep last night?"

Harry frowned, "Sorta."

He wasn't lying. Granted nothing happened the night previous but it wasn't for lack of wanting. Harry was finding it harder and harder to be with his fiancé and not be with her.

He chalked it up to hormones, but something in the back of his head wasn't so sure.

The only time he wasn't thinking about her and what she looked like underneath those floor length flannel nightgowns she favored was when he was actively training or in the middle of class. And even in times like those he would find his mind drifting at odd moments.

She didn't know how close he came last night to ripping her robes off right there in the study and laying her across the desk. He tried to rid his mind of the image and it only made things worse.

Think of Umbridge. Think of Umbridge.

"It's hormones, got to be. I'm sixteen, it's natural."

"What's that?" asked Ron.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing."

He felt Hermione next to him as she sat down set her hand on his leg as she did every morning for a short squeeze before she started in on breakfast.

Think of Umbridge. Think of Umbridge. Get your mind off of it ... her. Talk to Ron!

"Any idea when you want to start this physical training thing of Dumbledore's?"

Ron looked offended. "I'm already in top physical condition."

Hermione laughed, "And that's why you are out of breath every time you clime the stairs to Muggle Studies?"

"Come on, Hermione. It's like fifty flights of stairs."

She gave him a critical eye. "More like five, and the way you eat, I'm surprised that you can do that much."

"I am not fat!"

She sipped a bit of pumpkin juice. "I never said you were. But it takes more than having a fast metabolism to be in shape."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have to tone up those muscles." She had a thought. "Girls like toned muscles."

"Yeah?" he responded with a little more interest.

She nodded her head, "You should see Harry with his shirt off. I could just eat him up, sometimes."

Harry took a long sip of juice and tried to keep her eating him up out of his mind. It wasn't doing much good.

"Rather not," Ron responded.

Harry made up an excuse to get off the subject and get away from Hermione until his head cleared. "Look, I've got to get to class. Some preparations I forgot to make."

She seemed sad to see him go. "Okay. We'll see you at lunch?"

He nodded and pecked her cheek before he left holding his bag in front of him as nonchalantly as he could.

Umbridge ... Umbridge in swimwear, coming on to you. No? Okay, Umbridge in swimwear coming on to Snape in swimwear.

Tensions seemed to release and he relaxed a bit as walking became much easier. Now he was having trouble getting that last image out of his mind.

"Potter!"

He jumped, seeing Snape coming out of a classroom . "Yes, sir."

Snape closed with suspicion in his eyes. "What are you cackling about?"

Harry tried to keep the smile off his face. "Just thinking about going to the beach. But I've heard some of the sights are hideous."

Snape's eyes narrowed and his jaw set.