Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review!

Blunt-but –honest – I thank you for your candor. And as you have taken the time to critique my work I would like to respond to you, even though I feel that you will probably never return. First of all… I have taken my style of writing directly from what JKR does… so the big chunks of information from other books, is there to help the reader follow where I got my ideas from, just as JKR does. You may think that there is direct quote in there, but much of what I wrote from the other four books was from memory and not pulling directly from the books. Also that is much in my story that is mine…. but as the year is just beginning… there will be more from the other books first…. I feel that this part in fact does not slow the reader down because if they truly are a fan then they can skim it or enjoy reading my interpretation of it…. Now as for your other comments… Yes the "two girls" and it is not that Hermione is a Hermaphrodite, if you had read the rest of the paragraph closely you would have seen I mention her in this statement "Cho and Ginny made him laugh almost every night, though there was some sadness that never seemed to leave him, and though they didn't know exactly why they figured, correctly, that it had partially to do with his two best friends who had become a couple." I do in fact make Harry a loner because I wrote this on the clues that I got from JKR's books and If you have read JKR's OotP you will have noticed that he has become the loner that I felt he would. And it's not that Harry doesn't go to Hermione for help… it's just that at this point he feels like the third wheel… Honestly tell me would you go to your best friend and talk to her if you felt like you were just a third wheel… I'm not sure I would. But that is me, hence this is my story…. And as for your last statement about how I killed Harry… well you obviously did not finish reading the chapter… or you would have seen that he did not die, merely that he went through something to help him advance his abilities! But I digress I've written a long enough response about your comments… If you cannot take the time to truly read all of my ficcy and then assess my writing skills then I should not have to spend any more time on your critique of my work!

Shdurrani/Alex – Thank you for your compliments! I am very glad you like it!!! I hope that you will return to read more! Thank you for taking the time to read and review! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Oxi-Nu – WELCOME! I'm so glad that you like it!! Thank you for taking the time to read and review! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Butler – Thank you for your compliments! I am very happy you like it! Thank you for taking the time to read and review!! :-D :-D :-D :-D

CHAPTER ELEVEN – HOGSMEADE

The next Saturday Ron and Harry got up early. They were excited for their first trip of the year to Hogsmeade. They walked down to the common room, with their full moneybags jingling at their hips, where they going to meet Hermione for breakfast. They were the first students to head to Hogsmeade on that day. They were to start leaving at nine and had to be back by three that afternoon. They could not wait to run wild through the many shops they had in one of the only small all-wizarding towns in Britain.

When they got to the common room they were surprised to see some of the remnants of the party that Fred and George had thrown together for Ron, Angelina, and Harry the night before. Until they realized that Hermione was already there and talking animatedly with four house elves in the corner. Two of them Harry recognized as Dobby and Winky, who was the house elf of the man that had been Mad-Eye Moody's imposter during Harry's prior year.

Dobby seemed to be nodding in agreement to whatever Hermione was saying. Winky and the other two house elves were shaking their heads violently, their ears flapping and trying to back away from Hermione. Harry and Ron glanced at each other knowingly. She had started the House Elf Liberation movement the prior year. She was obviously trying to convince them once again that they needed to think about trying to get pay and decent clothing instead of the tea towel toga-like uniforms stamped with the Hogwarts' crest that they wore all the time.

Harry and Ron approached Hermione and told her that they needed to talk to her. She huffed and followed them away from the house elves, who quickly completed their appointed tasks and left before Hermione, Ron and Harry had finished their somewhat heated discussion on the matter.

"Hermione, we are not saying that we disagree with you and your plight, but the house elves are happy doing what they are doing. And it is obvious that if they really wanted to be paid and have time off that they could have it. Dobby is proof of that…," said Harry.

"I suppose that you're right, but I still think it is wrong to have them as slaves…."

"As do we."

Ron simply nodded in agreement to what both of them had been saying.

"Anyway, Hermione, we need to get down to breakfast so that we can go to Hogsmeade…. We don't want to miss our chance to go."

She turned around wanting to say more to the elves and realized that they had finished their jobs and moved on. Hesitantly she nodded in agreement, frustration showing plainly on her face from being thwarted from her mission.

Breakfast was a quiet affair between the three of them. Slowly the other Gryffindor fifth years trickled in and began chatting excitedly about their trip. Soon even Hermione couldn't help being enthusiastic. Harry and Ron began discussing animatedly about what they were going to do first. When all of the fifth years saw Filch appear at the entrance to the Great Hall, they knew it was time to leave.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, having been some of the first fifth years to get to the Great Hall, were among the first to get to their feet and head to the front doors. When they arrived in Hogsmeade they took a deep breath in and enjoyed the crisp fall air. Harry and Ron dragged Hermione to their usual haunts.

They started out at Honeydukes and dropped a fair amount of their gold on their favorite sweets. As Harry left the shop he thought briefly about the passageway that was in the basement storeroom that led back to Hogwarts. He smiled when he thought of the times that he had used it in his third year after the twins had given him the Marauder's Map, when there was no other way for him to visit the all wizard town. Thinking about the map made Harry stop for a moment. He stood still for a moment remembering about his birthday gift from Lupin and Sirius… the quill. He vowed to see what it did that very evening before he went to bed.

Then they went off to Zonko's Joke Shop and dropped most of the rest of their gold there. Just as they were about to leave Zonko's Ron and Harry both noticed in the corner of the dusty shop was a small display of innocent looking wands, pastries, and candies with a small sign above it with three letters very prominently standing out from it: "W, W, W". Harry and Ron exchanged a look and walked over to the tiny display to have a better look at the only thing in the shop that they had seemed to miss. The sign read Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Harry's eyes flew open wide, as did Ron's.

"I don't believe it… They really are making their inventions work, but…. How did they get the money to do this?"

Harry looked uncomfortable and couldn't meet his friend's eyes. Hermione figured out exactly how it must have happened, from part of a conversation that she had recently overheard between Harry and the twins after their advanced class one night….

"Harry, we just wanted to tell you about some new developments pertaining to our business, being that you are a silent partner and all," Fred had said. They dropped back from the group a bit and quietly discussed everything. But since Hermione remembered that Fred and George had started this business last year, she figured that this was what they had talked about that night. She remembered correctly about how Harry didn't really want his gold that he had won from the Tournament and that he must have given it to Fred and George, who felt obligated to make Harry a silent partner in that business.

Harry silently stood there mildly surprised about the development. Fred and George had told him recently that they had found a way to get some of their inventions sold, but when Ron had started spouting about how his brothers were able to do it, he was a bit worried that Ron might figure out how they had done it. Hermione looked at Harry and he knew that she must have figured it out. To his surprise she said nothing to Ron, instead she winked at him and lead Ron away from the display.

"Ron, I've always wanted to check out the little path that leads to the back edge of the Dark Forest…. I've heard that it is a very quiet and secluded path that a lot of um… couples wonder down." Hermione blushed as she said this, but it effectively seemed to take Ron's mind off of the display that she was steering him away from. She looked over at Harry and said, "Do you mind, Harry?"

"Not at all. Go have fun. I'll meet you at the pub for a drink later."

Hermione and Ron grinned broadly at Harry and left the shop. Harry went to the counter and asked the caretaker of the shop, Witty Zonko, how well the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes were doing and explained that he was the silent partner of the business.

The rosy cheeked middle aged man with a perpetual grin replied, "One of the best new displays I've ever had actually. I've sold more of those gags in the first week than I have all of my others combined this week. I'm actually running out of them. I'll need to have them send down some more really soon. I must say I was a bit skeptical about their products at first, but now I feel that it was the best decision that I made selling them that little corner…."

Harry smiled and told Mr. Zonko that he would be sure to let the twins know. He walked out of the shop with a smile on his face, knowing that Fred and George would soon have enough money to open their own shop, which was of course their ultimate dream. He stepped out into the crisp, fresh air and wondered around the town for a while, stopping in the post office just to marvel at all the owls that were there. He enjoyed watching them come in and take of with various sized bundles and letters.

After a short while he stepped back out to the street and walked up to the fence surrounding the shrieking shack, the proclaimed most haunted dwelling in all of Britain, but Harry knew better. This was where Lupin came as a student when his transformations were close at hand so that he could not hurt anyone in his altered state as a werewolf. As he stood there looking up at the strangely eerie looking house, he got a lurching feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was being watched….

He reached out with his mind to see who was nearby without turning around. Strangely there wasn't anyone close enough to him to be watching him as intently as Harry felt he was being watched. He looked up at the Shrieking shack and through the window he was sure that for a brief moment he saw a shadow move, which made him jump and blink.

He studied the window for some time after that, trying to figure out if what he saw was real or imagined. Just as he concluded that it must have been a part of an overactive imagination, he felt a hand on his shoulder, which made him jump and swing around….

There standing before him was a startled Professor Clovis, who had pulled back her hand when she had felt Harry jump. "Harry, I'm so sorry…. I didn't meant to surprise you like that…."

"That's okay, Professor. I'm just feeling a bit jumpy right now." Harry debated whether or not to tell her about what he had seen up in the Shrieking Shack. As if hearing his thoughts, she visibly paled and looked up at the house in the very window that Harry had seen the movement.

She put hand on his shoulder again and looked up into his emerald eyes. There was something in her eyes that Harry could not distinguish, but at that moment he had the strangest urge to kiss her. He looked away from her and said, "So are you one of the professor's proctoring the trips to Hogsmeade today?"

"Actually, no…. I've not been in Hogsmeade before today, except at the train station. I decided to come and check it out. I saw you walking alone up here and I know that no student is supposed to be here by themselves so I decided to come and find out if you were truly alone or if your friends were around with you."

"Actually I'm going to meeting up with Ron and Hermione for a drink in a while. They just went erm… for a walk."

"I see. Would that be down the lover's walk by the Dark Forest?"

"Erm… How did you know about that?"

"I'm supposed to know all about everything here, since I'm a Professor and at some point will be proctoring the trips. But it's not right that they left you alone. I wouldn't want you to be sent home early if you were caught by yourself, so…. Would you care for some company?"

Harry's heart pounded, hands started sweating, and mouth suddenly seemed glued shut. He had wished for a moment to get to know his beautiful professor better. But now that it was here he didn't know what to say. He felt strangely dumb as no words came to him to say. He mentally kicked himself telling himself that she was just trying to keep him out of trouble and that she was a professor, that she had no feelings for him.

Eventually after completely reaming himself out for a few moments he smiled and nodded at her, feeling slightly surreal about the situation. They walked down to the Village and Harry showed her around a bit before they went into The Three Broomsticks pub, waiting for Ron and Hermione to show up. Harry had so many questions that he wanted to ask as he and Professor Clovis sat down with their butterbeers, but he really didn't know where to start.

"Harry, does it seem weird to you to be sitting here with a Professor outside of class?" asked Professor Clovis noticing the nervous look on Harry's face.

Harry once again found that words escaped him, so he just nodded. She gave him a brilliant smile that made Harry go weak in the knees. He felt that it was a good thing that he was sitting. She then touched his arm and leaned in toward him. "There's no need to be nervous, we Professors don't bite." Harry laughed nervously and after a short time they were talking animatedly about everything. After some time they came to the subject of their pasts. They found that in some ways they had a few things in common.

Professor Clovis recounted her past briefly, after Harry had given a very brief explanation about his past, leaving many sordid details out. "I guess I should tell you that I've always picked up on magic very quickly. My mother was a brilliant witch that came from a long line of witches and wizards. My father, on the other hand, was the first wizard ever in his family. Unfortunately when Voldemort was in power here, there were several factions over in America that were following him, trying to get noticed by him. Unfortunately both my mother and father got caught in the crossfire during a fight between those factions and died, when I was 8.

"Because I had always shown a lot of abilities my mother had signed my up for early admittance to the Salem Institute. And because I had no other living relatives, I boarded there and the headmistress became my guardian. She never pushed me, but I developed quickly and was able to take the equivalent to your N.E.W.T.s when I was 12.

"For the next 6 years I did undercover work for the American Wizard's Spy Network. But since Voldemort had died shortly after my parents had been killed there was not as much activity on that front. So I began to train other older wizards and witches with my methods, but most just didn't take me seriously because of my age. Even so, I did that for nearly 3 ½ years before I found that Hogwarts was looking for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So I applied and the rest, as they say, is history."

Harry sat shocked for a minute. He had known that she was young, but not that young. He now understood why she was so good at commanding the presence of the room, since she had to do so with many witches and wizards that were older and obviously had no respect for her. Though, he felt that her beauty had something to do with that as well. He blushed furiously when he admitted that to himself, which of course Professor Clovis noticed.

Professor Clovis had caught a fleeting thought of Harry's that had been thrust out into the open part of his mind. She heard that he thought that she was beautiful and then watched as his face turned bright red. He looked away from her, trying to hide his embarrassment. She remained quiet trying to collect her own thoughts on how she felt about the situation.

She had heard about students having crushes on teacher before. She had in fact had a much older wizard, from one of her classes back in the States, try something improper with her, which she was able to get out of without damage, because she could hear his thoughts and knew his intentions.

But here she was at Hogwarts teaching students younger than she was, and the one person who had caught her attention from the very beginning had a crush on her. She knew it would be inappropriate for anything to develop between them, but she very much wished that it were possible for it to happen. She had a twinge of guilt and shame at the fact that she wanted them to develop into something more than just the professor-student relationship.

Harry, feeling his embarrassment subsiding looked back at Professor Clovis. Their eyes locked. They sat quietly looking in each others eyes, both seeing the unspoken feelings that they had for each other, written in each other's eyes. For one very brief moment Harry had the urge to lean over to her and kiss her.

He began to slowly lean in and realized that she was leaning in too, but just as their lips were about to touch, he was interrupted by someone calling his name….

"Harry," said Hermione, who had just entered the pub with Ron walking behind her, both looking a bit lovesick and completely oblivious to what they almost witnessed. Harry tore his eyes away from Professor Clovis. Professor Clovis took that time to collect herself and shake off the lightheaded, elated feeling that she had from knowing that Harry had just about kissed her. She collected her things quickly.

"Harry, it's been great talking to you…. Now that your friends are back, you'll not be alone and I have a few things that I need to pick up for supplies. So I'll see you in class." She got up quickly and left.

As she closed the door behind her she leaned against the wall collecting her thoughts. She couldn't believe what she had almost done…. She knew that she could no longer be alone with Harry. It was obvious to her that the feelings that she had been having for him the past few weeks ran deeper than she first thought. She pushed herself up away from the wall and ran down the street toward the shops, entering the first one that she came to, just to distract herself from what had almost happened.

Back in the pub Harry sat confused. He knew he had feelings for his teacher, but he also knew that it was wrong, even though she was young. He knew that it would be unwise to be alone with her again, and planned to try his hardest to not let that happen. He felt his pounding heart slow.

Hermione and Ron looked at their best friend, who had been silent and unmoving since Professor Clovis had left the pub. They shared a look and Hermione cautiously spoke up, "Harry are you all right?"

Harry lifted his eyes off of the knot in the wood of the table that he had been staring at and as his cheeks flushed with his obvious embarrassment he said quietly, "All right…. Did you enjoy your walk down lover's lane?"

It was Hermione and Ron's turn to turn red with embarrassment. Ron just sputtered. Hermione kept her head enough to answer quietly, "Yes. The Dark Forest was lovely on this side. We saw some Unicorn foals playing at the edge of the forest. It was wicked…."

Harry suddenly had the urge to go down that path with his Professor, a thought, which he promptly pushed down deep into the depths of his soul. He lifted his bottle of butterbeer and swigged the rest of it down. "Whenever you're ready… I think I'd like to go home…," said Harry.

Hermione and Ron, because of their heightened emotions for each other, had their mind wide open and were able to read may of the projected thoughts coming from all over the pub, most of which they just filtered out. But one thought came rushing to them, and though it was fleeting, they heard enough of it to know exactly what was going on with Harry. They shared a look and quickly finished their butterbeers so that they could leave.

They got up and walked out of the pub and back to the carriages. They rode in silence back to the school. They went back to the tower and Harry proceeded up to his dorm room, while Ron and Hermione sat on the couch in front of the fire and watched him go, without a word. Hermione and Ron sat there snuggling for a few minutes before Hermione stood up and said, "Oh. This is ridiculous! I need to check on something in the library…. Why don't you go up and see if there is anything that you can do to help Harry."

Ron nodded and they went their separate ways.