Disclaimer~ I don't anything Harry Potter. And if Warner Bros tries to sue me, I'll make like a Bedouin and disappear into the desert. ;)

Author's Note~ Happy Indian Independence Day if you celebrate it!

I have reviews! Great! Haha, this chapter is much longer than the previous too, so kick back, grab a cup of chai and read.

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Chapter Eleven

Gryffindor vs. Slytherin

"Oh did I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

~ Hermione, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-'*'-_-

Cesare arrived late to Charms and muttered an apology to Professor Flitwick, before sliding into the empty seat next to Neville. Harry caught his eye and mouthed 'Detention?' from across the classroom. Cesare shook his head and gave a half-hearted thumbs-up. Harry smiled and turned back to his notes.

Cesare barely listened to the lecture on flying charms, a lesson which he normally would have been interested in. He kept turning over Malfoy's words in his mind. The conversation just didn't make sense at all. Draco was normally pretty self-absorbed. Why would he care who Cesare was friends with? Was his uncle really keeping tabs on him? He thought it odd when he didn't receive a Howler or anything of that sort after being put into Gryffindor. It almost seemed like Draco had been trying to give him a warning. But why? And what did any of this have to do with Death Eaters?

He tried to focus his mind on something else. He opened to his notes and started to write the date. He paused when he realized what today was and he quickly checked the date against something in a parchment notepad. A small smile came to his face. Tonight was the night. Another step in the project that had been consuming so much of his time recently. His thoughts were interrupted by a very loud BANG next to him. He jumped and looked over to see a very startled Neville covered with ashes.

"Oh, Mr. Longbottom! What did you do to the carpet?!" Flitwick hurried over as fast as his small legs would carry him.

"It--- it--- wouldn't fly," Neville stuttered, looking amazed at the smoky remains of what had been a carpet.

Flitwick sighed, "Well, it certainly won't now! Class, this is a great time to point out the reasons why flying carpets are now ILLEGAL in Britain ......"

The class laughed and Neville brushed the ashes off his robe. "Sorry."

Cesare shook his head mournfully. "Such a damn shame. Fine way of transportation."

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Hermione, Harry, and Ron left Flitwick's class and started walking down the vast corridor towards the common room. Hermione smiled as they passed a large window. "Oooh, look! It's snowing," she said cheerfully.

Ron grinned rather evilly. "How about it, Harry? Snowball fight after lunch?" They had that afternoon off from classes.

"I wish," Harry said. "Practice. We have to beat Slytherin tomorrow!" There was a bit of a manic glint in his eyes.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "HONESTLY, Harry. The way you complained about Wood and Angelina, and you've become just like them."

Ron tried to cover his laugh, but was unsuccessful.

"Fine. Haha. We'll see if you laugh when Slytherin beats us."

"No way. We won last year and our team was a buncha dudders."

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Password?"

"Loddy Lobkins."

They ducked inside and walked into the common room.

"We'll just be a minute, Herm," they said and walked up to their dorm to drop off their heavy load of books. They were speaking loudly when they entered the room, but still startled the person inside.

"Che? How'd you get back here so fast?"

Cesare quickly stuffed something heavy behind the curtains of his bed. "I took a shortcut. What are you guys doing? I thought you would be at lunch," he replied, unable to hide the irritation in his voice."

Harry and Ron exchanged suspicious looks. Before Ron could say something obnoxious, Harry interceded.

"We were just going to drop some stuff before lunch," Harry said. "What about you?"

"I'm not hungry," he answered vehemently.

"Er...... well, then we'll just be going." Harry dropped his books on the side of his bed, feeling Cesare's wary eyes on his back as he did so. Ron took his time doing the same. Then they left without another word.

Cesare sighed in relief. It was stupid of him to keep the potion here, but he needed to check on it without Hermione becoming suspicious of where he kept disappearing to. She had already commented on his frequent absences and reminded him of the bargain he had made with her.

He took the cauldron from behind the curtain and placed it on the floor. He sat next to it and scanned the voluminous, old book he had taken out of his trunk. He found his place and read the instructions. He nodded slowly, confirming what he had already known.

"Tonight's the night."

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"Why didn't you ask him what he was hiding?" hissed Ron as they walked downstairs.

Harry shook his head. "Pointless, Ron. He wouldn't tell us anyway."

Ron shot him a glare. "Yet this is the git you keep trying to convince me to be nice to?" He started to add something else, but Hermione had started charging up the stairs with a hand on her hip and an annoyed expression on her face.

"What took you so long? I WOULD like to eat before Runes."

Ron grumbled, "Forget it. Let's eat."

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After dinner, Harry was particularly tense. He paced the common room, murmuring things about Quaffles and Bludgers, and rubbing his palms together. Ron and the other members of the team watched him and spoke quietly. Cesare was noticeably absent. After practice, he'd left and wasn't anywhere in the Gryffindor dormitory.

He was actually in a deserted fifth floor classroom. A dusty board and chair were the only items in the room besides a huge skeleton of what looked to have been once a dragon. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor, with a steaming cauldron at his feet and the same musty book in his hands. He opened it to a well worn page entitled, "The Animagus Transfiguration.

He smiled in anticipation. He'd been anxious to get started ever since Professor McGonagall had mentioned Animagi. Too anxious. If patience was a virtue, then it only joined the long list of virtues he didn't subscribe too.

Besides, this potion merely allowed its brewer to receive a vision of the animal form that would best suit them as an Animagus. It wasn't as dangerous as the actual transformation.

He ladled some of the potion into a large glass. It was a nasty shade of mottled green and just looking at it made him want to be sick. He took a deep breath. This was it. Now or never. In a few moments he would either know which animal he was going to become or........he would have poisoned himself. He pushed the thought of his dismal track record in Potions aside. He slowly raised the glass to his mouth and tried to ignore the overpowering stench. Holding his noise, he downed the whole thing quickly.

He practically felt the potion hit his stomach. He was nearly overcome with a strong urge to gag, but held it back. 'Clear your mind,' he reminded himself. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about poison spreading through his veins.

Nothing happened for what seemed like forever. 'It's not working,' he realized. Disappointment flooded him and he opened his eyes.

And immediately noticed he was no longer in the dusty fifth-floor classroom. Instead, he was sitting on the mossy ground of a deep emerald forest. Tall trees loomed above his head, dark and impregnable. It was still night wherever he was. Moonlight gleamed in small silver patches on the overgrown forest floor. The air was devoid of noise, save the rustling of shadowy leaves.

Cesare blinked. And then blinked again, but the bizarre scene hadn't left him. He took a deep breathe to calm himself. Even the very air smelled earthy and rich.

He tried to ignore the adrenaline that was pumping through his system. How had he gotten here? Where was HERE? It looked like the Forbidden Forest, but somehow Cesare didn't think that was right. He had a feeling these ancient trees were in a place very, very far from anywhere he'd ever been.

He started trying to think about how he was going to get out of here, when sudden movement from the trees made him freeze. He held his breath as a shadowy, dark creature silently crept into view.

The creature turned out to be a jet-black wolf. At least.......he thought it was a wolf. He had never seen one before. It could have just been a really big dog, for all he knew. Its shining yellow eyes were watching him carefully.

He slowly slid his hand towards his pocket, his fingers itching for his wand. The animal continued to gaze at him. He reached the opening in his robes and tried not to gasp. His wand was gone, most likely still at Hogwarts. Great, now his situation was really improved. He was not only trapped in some forsaken forest, but now he was also wandless with a feral creature a few meters away from him.

The wolf seemed to sense his thoughts. It took a few graceful steps towards him, which was the exact OPPOSITE direction Cesare wanted it to go. It was still studying him with intelligent gold eyes.

Then something drifted across the creature's eyes. Something cold and frightening. The animal disappeared in a green flash. Cesare instinctively flinched and threw a hand up in front of his face. Suddenly a high, cold laugh broke the clear silence of the woods, as sharp as a knife.

"Foolish boy.........you can't see with your eyes closed."

"My eyes are open," Cesare whispered back, no knowing what else to do. It felt like ice was dripping down his back.

"No, you've always been blind. Now.......OPEN YOUR EYES!"

He was back in the classroom. He shook his head. What the hell had just happened? Realization dawned upon him. Had that been the vision? It would make sense. Particularly if that was his Animagus form. After all, that animal was similar to the one he'd thought of in September.

Cesare's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly noticed something was very not right. His vision was musc better than normal. And his sense of smell! He could smell the food from the kitchens which were floors away. With a growing sense of horror, he looked down towards his hand. It was a black paw. He had transformed.

He let out a yell which came out as a low howl. He sprang to his feet. He had four legs! Change back, change back, change back, he silently begged himself. But it worked. With a small POP! he was back to normal, albeit very confused. He couldn't stop shaking as the adrenaline slowly receded from his blood.

How had this happened? This should not be possible. It took years to become an Animagus. And the potion wasn't supposed to have anything to do with the actual transformation! And it wasn't like he could exactly tell McGonagall what he was doing and ask what was going on. He really wasn't up to serving detention for the rest of the year.

This was not supposed to happen, he repeated to himself. Cesare knew he had a talent for Transfigurations, but he knew he wasn't THAT good. Most wizards never attempted to become Animagi; the risk was too great. Registering was also a long and irritating process. He had no intention of registering with any Ministry of Magic: British, Italian, Egyptian, etc. Who were they to tell wizards how to use their power?

He looked longingly out the window, and couldn't help imagining how great it would be to become the wolf again and run through the Forbidden Forest. How free he would probably feel. He realized that was probably the reason he had chosen to pursue being an Animagus. He had been under his uncle's strict and unforgiving eye his entire life and wanted some freedom. As an animal, no one would know who he was or be able to control him.

Cesare sighed. He had a feeling he was going to be spend a lot more time in the library trying to figure out what had happened tonight. But he also had a Quidditch game early in the morning and didn't want to be too tired to smack Bludgers towards Malfoy's head. More pressing matters would have to be put aside. He grabbed the book and magically scoured his cauldron, destroying any evidence of what he'd been doing. With that done, he started for the common room.

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The next morning the entire school was up early. Excited voices filled the Great Hall during breakfast. Harry was staring intensely at his toast. Hermione snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Is your breakfast giving you advice on how to beat Slytherin or something? You don't need help. You're going to shove their faces in the dirt. Now eat something. You need your strength." She looked around at the identical expressions worn by Ron, Cesare, and the rest of the team. "Seriously, eat something and relax. We're going to win," she said confidently.

They nodded in unison and finished breakfast. In no time at all, the team was walking out onto the field. The entire school had shown up and easily filled the stands. As usual, only a quarter of the school wore the Slytherin colors, while the majority was decked out in gold and scarlet. Lee Jordan's younger brother Will, a first year who shared his brother's love for pranks and biased broadcasting, was at the microphone, announcing the line up.

The Gryffindor players lined up to meet the Slytherin team. Each player wore looks of hatred towards the opposing team. Madam Hooch held the Quaffle.

"Now, play fair!" she reminded them harshly, perhaps noticing the death stares being exchanged. "Players ........ Take off!!!!!!!!"

She tossed the Quaffle high into the air and the game began. Asad Ademi, the youngest Chaser scooped up the Quaffle and started for the Slytherin goal posts amid cheers. Ginny swooped under him and he passed the ball to her.

Harry flew straight and high into the air. He kept high above the pitch, searching for any glitter of gold. His Firebolt smoothly cut through the wind, faster than any other broom on the pitch. It was good to have his broom back and be playing Quidditch after his ban last year. He was joined a moment later by Malfoy.

"Don't get any delusions in your head, Potter. Slytherin will take the Cup this year," he said haughtily.

Harry rolled his eyes. Malfoy's extreme vanity was really too much at times. "A little worried, Malfoy? You lose this game and you're close to losing any chance at the Cup as well."

Malfoy looked at him smugly and pointed below. "Don't count on it yet."

Harry looked down just in time to see a Slytherin Chaser toss the Quaffle through the goal post while one of their beaters swung a club near Ron's head. Malfoy laughed and flew away. The game went on that way for ten more minutes. The Gryffindor Chasers were putting up a good fight, but it seemed like Ron was starting to get nervous again. He swore as Slytherin took another goal. There was no sign of the Snitch.

Down below, the game was getting dirtier. One of the Slytherins rammed into Katie Bell's broomstick before she could score, saying he got confused and thought she was a Quaffle. Cesare hit a Bludger towards the back end of his broom in vengeance, and sent the Slytherin player spinning away.

Madam Hooch awarded each team a penalty and both players scored. The game stayed tied. Harry noticed a few flakes on his shoulder and realized it had started to snow. The flurries started to give way to a heavier downfall and soon enough, his vision was getting impaired by swirling clouds of white snow.

The rest of the players were being affected as well. The snow stuck to everything and soon enough, the balls and brooms were all covered with a thin sheen of ice. Harry looked at the score. It was 110: 60. He cursed again. Slytherin was beating them by fifty points!

He anxiously flew over the pitch. He needed to find the Snitch. His heart skipped a beat when he saw it, in a flutter of gold wings, across the field near one of the Slytherin goal posts. He quickly sped up, but Malfoy had noticed his movement and swerved in front of him. "Going somewhere, Potty?"

Harry saw Malfoy slowly turn his head to see what Harry was looking at. Harry suddenly had an idea and quickly turned his direction towards the Gryffindor goal posts. He plummeted towards the ground, hoping Malfoy would follow him. Draco easily took the bait, thinking Harry had seen the Snitch. They were neck in neck and quickly nearing the ground.

Harry reached out his arm like he was going to grab something. The ground got closer and he heard the crowd screaming as the two Seekers plunged towards the pitch. Five meters, four meters, three meters, two...... Harry pulled out of the dive and took off across the field. Malfoy wasn't so lucky. Harry heard a loud THUD! as something heavy hit the ground hard behind him.

Harry concentrated on the Golden Snitch ahead. He was almost there ....... He reached out his arm ....... almost ...... and ....... he got it!!!!

He jumped off his broom and held the struggling Snitch triumphantly in his hand. He grinned broadly as the stands erupted in cheers. He started to yell GRYFFINDOR! but was interrupted by a heavy blow to the back of the head. He staggered to the ground and weakly looked behind him to see what had hit him. He saw Malfoy standing with his broom, outlined in the glare of the snow.

"Sorry, Potty, Guess that Wronski Feint messed up my sense of direction a little." He started to saw more, but Harry felt very light-headed and suddenly everything got dark.

Cesare saw Harry slump to the ground and Malfoy standing over him laughing. Enraged, he jumped to the ground and stormed over to him.

"You disgusting, cheating bastard!" he shouted.

Malfoy eyed him coldly as he approached. "You lay a hand on me in front of all these people and not even Dumbledore will be able to prevent your expulsion." He nodded his head towards the Slytherin stands. Cesare easily spotted Lucius Malfoy's blonde head making his way down to the pitch.

Cesare struggled to control the urge to strangle Malfoy. "Get out of the way!" He pushed past him and went to Harry. He was lying still, but his breathing was normal. "Harry? Harry, can you hear me?" Well, of course he couldn't. Malfoy had practically rammed the end of his broomstick into Harry's skull.

Madam Hooch hurried over. "He's out of it for now." She turned her attention to Draco. "That was a low, dirty trick. We'll see about your punishment later. Now, Harry must be taken up to the hospital wing."

Cesare backed away, letting Madam Pomfrey do her job. He pushed his wet black hair out of his eyes and swore again. A familiar nasty voice behind him, made him quickly turn around. He came face-to-face with not just one, but two Malfoy's.

"Cesare. I must say it's a ...... surprise ...... to see you in those colors," Lucius commented, looking disdainfully at his gold and scarlet Quidditch robes. "I would have thought you'd have been in Slytherin." His voice was laced with accusation. Just being near him made Cesare sick. Lucius had always reminded him of his uncle.

He kept his voice even and devoid of any emotion. "Well, I heard these colors bring out my olive complexion much better," he said, very sarcastically. Draco rolled his eyes, but Lucius's cold gray gaze narrowed in annoyance.

"You have caused your family much anger and embarrassment this year," he said icily.

Cesare lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "I wasn't the only one. I would think a few members of your family would roll over in their graves if they knew you had left Voldemort's side."

Lucius cracked his knuckles ominously and Cesare knew the elder Malfoy was itching to grab his throat and throttle him with those same pale hands. "You dare say his name........you know nothing, you fool......" he whispered, his voice shaking with anger. There was rage spreading through his pointed face face.

"My mistake," he said dryly. "Excuse me." He swept past them when he noticed Hermione running onto the pitch, a worried expression on her face.

"Hey! Calm down!" he grabbed her around the waist to stop her.

"Oh, Che! Is Harry okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes. He is fine. Don't worry. He just got knocked out. Madam Hooch says he going to be fine." He smiled at her and smoothed her hair. "Hey, don't look so grim. It's just a minor injury as far as Quidditch goes," he joked.

Hermione sighed. "I swear. He can't go a single YEAR without getting hurt! Ooo, I feel like hexing Malfoy something awful ......."

He laughed. "You're not the only one."

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They visited Harry in the hospital wing later that day. Ron had already taken the train back home. His mum had insisted he come home for the holidays this year in a long tear-drenched letter, complaining about how he never wrote and that Ginny and he were her only babies left. Ron had been slightly insulted at being called a baby, but went home nevertheless. Harry had been invited, but declined. Christmas with the Weasley's would have brought back to many memories of last December.

Hermione's parents had gone on extended holiday in France over Christmas. They would be gone for the entire month. They had wanted her to come, but she denied the invitation, completely horrified. (I CAN'T miss TWO WEEKS of school!) Cesare had actually burst into laughter when Hermione asked if he was going home for the holidays. ("Go home? Oh, that would be a fun time. I'd rather spend two weeks with Snape in Potions than with my uncle during Christmas. He's particularly nasty around holidays. I think all that good cheer makes him cringe.")

When they arrived, Harry seemed to be having an argument with Madam Pomfrey.

 "I'm FINE! Really, I promise. Just got hit a little too hard!"

"DANGEROUS sport, Mr. Potter. Every year, you spend a good deal of time here. And when it's not Quidditch, it's you trying to get yourself killed! Now, you're staying the night!"

She huffed off, and Hermione and Cesare entered quietly.

"How are you, Harry? How's your head?" Hermione whispered.

"I'm fine. I just wish I could leave the hospital wing," he grumbled. "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve!"

"Want me to beat up Malfoy for you?" Cesare offered.

Harry grinned and started to give his consent, but Hermione cut him off.

"You CAN'T. You'll get in a lot more trouble if you hurt him again. Besides, I saw Lucius Malfoy talking to you. He can't be very happy about you hurting Draco, and he's got tons of influence."

Cesare started to protest, but Harry interrupted him. "Better not, mate. Besides, we have almost two Malfoy-free weeks to look forward too." He looked annoyed in Madam Pomfrey's direction. "Just as soon as I'm free!"

Hermione shrugged sympathetically. "Well at least break starts today. Ron wanted to come up and say good bye before he left, but you were still unconscious."

"I'll write him tomorrow. We've got quite a bit of time off after Christmas. It's so early this year."

They chatted with him for a little while longer, before Madam Pomfrey pushed them out.

They started back towards the common room. Hermione looked longingly out the window at the snow.

"Oooh, let's just go outside for a bit. Hogwarts is so pretty when it snows!"

Cesare looked horrified at the thought. "Snow? That's not that cold stuff that falls in northern countries, is it?" He shivered.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby."

"I'm not a baby. On the contrary, I'd simply rather face a pack of Dementors than frozen, falling water."

She grabbed his hand playfully. "C'mon, King Tut. Time to get used to our weather. There's going to be snow on the ground for the next few months. You can't stay inside the entire time."

"Did you just call me King Tut? Let's stay away from the ethnic name-calling......."

"Is Italia boy better?" she teased, pulling him closer to the doors. "I promise you'll like the snow. Please.........."

"Fine! Fine! Let's go freeze instead of going up to our warm common room fire."

Hermione smiled and pushed him out the door. "See, that's the Che we all know and love. Sarcastic and cynical."

He felt like he had been blasted with a Freezing Curse as soon as they crossed over the threshold and stepped outside. Flurries were still lightly falling and the lake had frozen over.

"Isn't it pretty?" Hermione asked as they strolled closer towards the icy lake.

Cesare looked around. The magnificent castle was full of twinkling lights and covered by snow. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Even the Forbidden Forest had a more magical aura and warm glow. "Yes, I admit it. It looks nice," he said, forcing the words out as he tried to imagine that they were really in the Sahara. He looked at Hermione next to him.

But she wasn't next to him. "Hermione?" he called and turned around. He squinted to see through the snow.

WHACK! He got hit hard in the chest by something wet and cold. "What the ......"

He heard Hermione's tinkling laughter. "Never heard of a snowball?" she teased as she threw another one. This one hit him in the face.

"Oh, you are going to pay!" He picked up a clump of snow and threw it in her general direction. It went about a foot before spraying back in his face.

"I think you need some practice!"

After a few more tries, he was pretty good at putting a decent snowball together. Hermione, however; had gotten several better ones in. She was perfectly dry while he was dripping in snow. She quickly put another one together and waited to hear his footsteps. Nothing, it was silent. She took a few cautious steps forward.

Suddenly, somebody grabbed her from behind and pushed snow into her hair. She screamed as ice-cold water trickled down her neck and turned around to hit him, but lost her balance. She stumbled and fell, landing in a snow drift and accidentally pulling him down on top of her.

"Got you," he grinned.

"I'm still better than you!" she said smugly. She noticed how close their bodies were and her heart sped up and her breath caught in her throat. She tried to toss it off lightly. "You weigh quite a lot for someone so athletic, did you know that ....."

She started to say more, but instead her caught her mouth with his own and started kissing her. She at first tried to pull away, but his lips felt so warm on hers......She found herself kissing him back.

The logical part of Hermione's mind was screaming at her to stop, but for once she ignored her better judgment. She wasn't sure how long they stayed there like that, but she suddenly became aware of Cesare moving away. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up.

She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He gave her his typical smug smile.

"Still better?" he asked devilishly.

"Wha ...... why did you do that?" she asked confused.

He looked at her with surprise. "Wasn't just me, Miss Granger."

Hermione felt herself blush. 'That's true, she thought, you did kiss him back.' "YOU started it," she stated bluntly, trying to heap the blame on him.

"E' vero," he noted with a small nod.

"Can't you just answer a question normally, in English!?" she yelled, her confusion turning to exasperation.

He still looked calm and collected, which angered her even more because that was the exact opposite way she felt right now. "What? Now, I'm not normal?" he asked, taking mock offense.

If looks could kill, he would have been dead. "You're hopeless!" she cried and turned away. She stalked back inside and felt a tear welling up in one eye. She felt so stupid for letting him hurt her like that. It was just like Cesare to play around with her emotions.

 Cesare watched her go. "Wait! Hermione! I was just ........" She ignored him and continued inside. He sighed. The good feeling he had gotten when he kissed her now dissipated, making him feel guilty for angering her.

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Hermione threw herself down on her bed. "I HATE men!!" she proclaimed loudly to the empty room. Lavender and Parvati had both gone home and she had the room to herself. She buried her head in her pillow, and chastised herself for being so foolish. 'I should have just smacked his face when he started to kiss me. But NO, I had to get all......all EMOTIONAL.'

She lifted her head and stared blankly at the wall. 'What am I doing? I'm not going to let him get to me,' she told herself, disgusted at her behavior. She pulled a heavy book off her nightstand and quickly got lost in it. She was absorbed in the arcane rituals of Druidic signs, when it suddenly slipped from her grasp and dropped to the floor.

"Clumsy," she muttered and leaned down to pick it up. She screamed when she noticed a figure in the doorway, lounging against the doorjamb

"Shhh, not so loud. You want me to get caught?" Cesare asked.

She gave him an icy glare, making it clear what her opinion was. "Yes! Maybe I should scream louder." She clutched the book to her chest and watched in disbelief as he casually walked around her dorm.

"Much bigger than ours," he noticed. He made his way over to the bathroom. "Merda!" He exclaimed after quickly inspecting it. "This is much nicer than the bathroom in my dorm. I sense some gender bias in this school."

Her jaw dropped. How could he have the AUDACITY to come in here and complain about the dorms? She pulled her blankets to her chin and tried to look as fierce as possible in red pajamas.

"You're not supposed to be in here and I certainly don't want to see you." She hesitated and then her curiosity got the better of her. "HOW did you get up here anyway?"

Cesare snorted. "You mean that little staircase slid trick? Pathetic." He waved his hand over his head dramatically. "Wingardium Leviosa. Can't believe no one's done it before. Hogwart's: A History never mentioned the founders lacked such imagination."

Hermione's brown eyes widened. "You've read Hogwart's: A Hist—," she caught herself quickly. 'Stay focused,' Hermione, she reminded herself firmly. "This isn't your room. Leave."

"Hermione." He walked towards her bed and plopped down next to her feet. Before she could protest, he added, "Please. Let me apologize. I am sorry I upset you before," he said, sounding sincere.

'Damn that accent,' she thought. But her face didn't betray her thought and she snorted instead. "I didn't know you knew how to apologize," she commented sarcastically.

"I'll make an exception this one time."

She maintained her sarcasm. "Oooo, I must be special."

"You are," he replied honestly, his brown eyes staring into her own.

She looked at him with widened eyes, surprised to hear him say something nice. "Do you mean that? Or are you just using your superb lying skills?"

"I mean it."

Her tone softened to almost a whisper. "I don't know if I can trust you."

Cesare made a sarcastic sound. "Well, I certainly can't judge you. I've never trusted another person in my entire life," he said harshly.

"Why not?" she asked intrigued.

"People always betray you when your back is turned."

She looked surprised. "That's pretty negative." Hermione was silent for a moment, and then asked. "Do you think I'd do that?" she asked tentatively.

He didn't know what to say and looked down. "I don't know. I do not think so."

"This is hard for you to talk about, isn't it?" she asked, noticing his unease.

He shook his head and laughed. "You have no idea."

She smiled. "Maybe we can learn to trust each other."

"Maybe." He stared at her. "But why would you want to put up with me?" he asked, half-joking.

Hermione tried to feel a little braver. "Because then I can do this whenever I want," she said and lightly kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Che."

He tried to conceal his surprise at her forwardness. "Goodnight, Hermione," he replied, slightly hoping she would continue her good night, perhaps in a way that involved more lips, but no luck. She smiled, and then he left.

When he was gone, she took a quick breath, scarcely believing what had happened in the past few hours. She tried to clear her mind, but was unsuccessful. She realized her heart was still beating faster than usual. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but couldn't stop the grin that spread over her face when she remembered how she had caught him off guard with her good night kiss.

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Cesare felt slightly dazed as he walked back to his dorm room. He lay back on his bed and stared out his canopy, trying to sort out the events of the past twenty-four hours. He had mysteriously become an Animagus, insulted Lucius Malfoy, and kissed Hermione. "This school has done some strange things to me," he muttered in amazement.

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-_~ Author's Note ~_-

Okay....::takes ten steps back:: Before, all the die-hard R/H, H/H, D/H or anything else you can think of, flame me or throw things at their computers, I beg you.... please reconsider. This is just one chapter, doesn't mean they're getting married or anything ridiculous like that. Besides, don't you want to know Harry and Ron's reactions? And anyway, I need some happy stuff before I write the next few chapters. Otherwise, I really don't like writing all this romantic stuff. Too mushy for me. Blech.

I didn't do my usual ten rewrites of this, so there may be a few mistakes. I hope it doesn't seemed too rushed, but I was trying to get this out quickly.

I got reviews! ::cries with happiness:: Please review my next chapters! More reviews=another chapter

T.H.W~ yes, this is definitely my first story. I'm really glad you are enjoying it so much. And I agree, Lucius is a vicious skank.

Liz~ thanks! I get reviewed on both! Awesome.

Barbara Kennedy~ I LOVE the Arabian Nights, lol, don't worry. Almari will be back.

Nunki~ do you hate me now? I dearly hope not. Don't worry, I'm not going to ignore Ron at all!

Carina

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HogwartsHottie