Hey! Thanks again for the reviews, sorry with the Angelica/*Angelina mixup.........I know a girl named Angelica, so yeah. (Angelina is a Quidditch player FYI, and now the new coach). Hopefully all that kicking off brooms/brawls weren't that bad for y'all. I g2 warn you, there's going to be OOTP spoilers in further chapters, not for a while, but I hope you've all read it, cuz I'd hate to lose readers for it!!! ;( But there's a slight mention of one in here

* I have a very busy week ahead, so next chapter might be up this weekend or early next week.........sorry! Yeah here's some H/Hr interaction, you'll probably guess what's going to happen after a while, not that hard to guess, hehe.

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"Come on, Harry.........!" Hermione whispered as she saw his reaching for the Snitch. Catch it, come on, you can do it, she thought. Suddenly, Malfoy leaned in closer to Harry and struck his leg right in his side, and he fell, violently tumbling on the soft ground. Hermione gasped and stood up halfway. She grasped her hands tightly, mentally cursing at Malfoy. When his foul was announced, she cheered with the Gryffindors and left to get to Harry, never seeing the fight between the two.

When she reached the field, Harry was no longer on the field and the rest of the Gryffindor players were leaving. He dashed over to Ron, drenched from the pouring rain, "Where's Harry?" Hermione cried.

Ron shrugged irritably and kept on walking, unconcerned. Hermione sighed angrily, looking for anyone that looked like Harry. She had a feeling that he hadn't gone back inside of Hogwarts, so she left the stadium to go look around the castle.

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Harry paced around the school grounds, trying to get rid of his rage. It didn't seem to work so he finally slumped down against on of Hogwarts's strong, supportive walls. He buried his face in his knees, unaware that he was sitting in slick, wet mud. He couldn't believe he missed the Snitch. Tie or not, he felt like he lost the game. Even though he was soaking wet, he could feel his face burning at what Malfoy said. The storm calmed down, only slightly, but the rain was still coming down strong.

The familiar taste of blood remained in his mouth and he glanced up through his clouded glasses. He thought that he only saw her because he was desperate to see her, but the closer the shape got, the more he doubted it was his imagination. There was Hermione running towards him in her wet robes. Her hair hung heavy in her face and she skidded and fell on her knees in front of Harry.

"Harry! I've been looking all over for you!" She gasped out of breath, smiling with relief to finally found him, "Let's go back inside, it's dreadful out here," She said, staring into his depressed eyes, "I know Gryffindor didn't win, but it was a tie, and that's better than losing, right?" She reassured.

"It's not that, it's.........Malfoy," Harry hissed.

"But it was a foul, Harry, he just looks like an idiot. Now, please, let's go---"She pleaded and shuddered, the wind whipped again fiercely.

"No, it's what he said. He started in on things that are not even his business. He said---he said things about you," He gripped his broom and murmured quietly, "And my mum and dad." Rage swept over his body again and his jaw clenched.

She stared at his deep, emerald eyes and they seemed to flicker with fury. But there was a dullness about them, a longing of something he couldn't have that he kept hidden away. She noticed the blood on his lip and shook her head, "Harry, this is exactly what he wants, to make you feel like dirt. What he says doesn't matter, it's ok---,"

"But Hermione, it's not! I can't have that ignorant jerk mouthing off about people I love! And I do love you, and he can't be saying things like--- like.........! You're always here for me, and I can't get you out of my mind. Ever since---"Harry stopped, becoming aware that he was confessing his deepest feelings for her. He looked way from her subtle eyes, mortified. He always held back, keeping in everything he felt. Though at times, he broke down and he couldn't control it. He tried to forget the time in Dumbledore's office last year, but the memory slid back in his mind like a bad dream.

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she choked on her own words. Harry didn't face her again, almost sure he did another thing wrong that day. The silence was torture and Harry's insides sunk painfully, now knowing how it felt to love someone who didn't feel the same way.

Hermione's heart raced and her hands were trembling. The stone wall barely shielded them from the rain and lightning streaked the sky in jagged ropes. She wasn't sure if she believed what he said, but all the doubt of loving him left her. She wiped the blood from his bruised lip and he stared back at her once again. She brushed his black hair away from his scar absentmindedly touched his scar with her two fingers, like the night she noticed something was there between them.

He watched her hands and when he felt her cold fingers on his scar, it felt strangely familiar, like a feeling he had in a dream. Her feelings for him were strong, but she had been blind to his feelings for her and never thought he actually loved her. He had saved her numerous times and he was always on her mind, wishing he was there when she entered a room.

She bent her face to her ear and whispered, her voice strangely afraid and almost inaudible, "I love you, Harry,". And with her hands behind his head, she slowly moved towards him, and he did as well.

His broom left his fingers and he wrapped his arms around her neck. Quidditch didn't seem important anymore and he had forgotten all about Malfoy. The rain, yet again, started to pour heavily and he didn't care if it drowned him right now.

Their embrace was intense and passionate, almost like their burning emotions for each other had exploded. He pulled her into his chest and held his breath at every move she made. There was nothing to hide now and all she gave him was her sweet surrender.

Thunder rolled and lightning flashed across the sky for the last time that night.

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"Ugghh, what horrible weather. It's been raining ever since the game," Ginny complained to the girls in the Girls Dormitory. It was true, it was raining but just barely. They were still talking about the dance and Ginny had honestly gotten sick of hearing it, so at every opportunity she tried to change the subject (even if it was as boring as talking about the weather). The clock on the far side of the wall read 7:11 PM. Dinner had just ended at 6:30 and Hermione still wasn't back yet. Ginny wasn't even sure if she saw her in the Great Hall for dinner.

She heard hollow footsteps on the staircase and when the door opened, Hermione stepped in. The girls turned to see her; she was an absolute mess. Not one part of her was not soaked with water. Her knees and her skirt were smeared with mud on the rim and her messy hair was dripping. Her cheeks were flushed and she realized what a scene she was making. She grabbed her nightgown off her bed and hurried past the girls and into the washroom.

Right when she closed the door, she heard the girls murmuring through the wall, She could only imagine what they were saying about her and what they thought she might of done. The mirror that reflected herself stood in front of her and she wasn't sure if she recognized herself. She never really worried herself in front of mirrors and the girl in front of her looked a lot older than she remembered. She had gotten taller and shapely, and that made her uncomfortable. She still wanted her innocent, younger body, the one she felt content in.

She shivered in her wet, heavy clothes and she turned the hot water on in the tub. She stripped down and relaxed by taking an overly long shower. Afterwards, she changed into her nightdress and pulled her hair back. Her hair had gotten longer too, she noticed. It was a couple inches past her shoulders and her chest swelled up, thinking of Harry and his hands in her hair.

She tried to look casual and opened the door, walked past the observing group of girls, and straight to the stairs.

"Ooohh, Hermione?" Ginny said teasingly and Hermione stopped. Then the girls started to laugh madly.

She turned around abruptly, "What? What's so funny?" And she walked back to the girls. Ginny smiled. It was part of her plan to lure Hermione back to find out a little about what happened.

"Soooo.........how have you been doing, Hermione? You looked dreadful earlier, you ok??" Lavender giggled.

"I'm perfectly fine. Now, if you don't mind, I was just about to---" Hermione started.

"---Do something else against the rules?" Parvati asked and Hermione got annoyed.

"What are you saying?" She huffed, turning slightly embarrassed. What if someone saw them?

"We're saying that we'd expect better from a girl who was a Prefect only a year ago," Ginny said and Hermione turned to the stairs again.

"Aww, come on, Hermie, we were only joking. Now get your butt back here and stop pretending to be so uptight," Lavender kidded and Hermione bit the inside of her cheek and sat down with them in the middle of the floor.

They didn't talk for a minute, then Hermione retorted, "I didn't DO anything against the rules," She crossed her arms.

"Then where were you during dinner? In the Library doing homework because I highly doubt THAT," Parvati said and Hermione, who (once in her life) didn't have anything to reply to that, stormed out of the room, embarrassed. Ginny punched Parvati in the arm.

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Hermione came down into the Common Room and flopped on one of the long, red couches, not even realizing Ron was sitting in a big chair next to it.

"Something wrong?" Ron said softly and Hermione jumped.

""Oh, uh hi, Ron. Yeah, I'm ok," And she crossed her legs, "Where's Harry?"

"Upstairs, he went to bed early. Hey, do you know where he was at dinner?" Ron asked but then he saw the uncomfortable look on Hermione's face and he coughed, "Oh—umm, nevermind then," She turned her eyes to the fireplace and heard run snicker. She threw a pillow right in his face. She had skipped dinner, and so had Harry. They had stayed outside for quite some time, talking and walking around, but most of the time they would stop and---she blushed thinking about kissing Harry when Ron was sitting right there.

"Ok, then what are you doing out here?"

Ron threw the pillow back and mildly kicked the table in front of him, "Uhh, well.........guys can't go up the girls' staircase, right?"

Hermione smiled curiously and nodded, "Yes you can, you just need to know the right spell," She lied and Ron perked up, "Ok, well, it's because I need to talk to someone."

Hermione got up and stood in front of the stairs and borrowed Ron's wand. He stood next to her and she lifted his wand up midway, "Who are you going to talk to?"

"Uhhh----errr," Ron said quietly and uttered quickly the name "Lavender". Hermione felt bad for lying but she needed a good laugh after being up in the girls' room. She flickered her wand and made up a spell: 'Steppius Haltnium'.

Ron hesitated and then rushed up the stairs. In a few seconds, he was on his stomach, sliding right back down. Hermione was laughing so hard she was on her knees. He collected himself up and then tackled her on her back. He looked into her gentle face and chestnut eyes and stood up very quickly. He couldn't do this anymore, not that she was Harry's now, and realized that maybe he was still a little attracted to her.

Hermione got up still laughing (and in a much better mood), oblivious to what Ron did and gave him his wand back. "I'm---I'm s-so sorry!" She sputtered. She calmed down and smiled innocently at him, "I'll tell her though, that you wanted to talk to her, ok?" He nodded, turning red.

"If I can remember correctly, can't girls climb up the boys' dorm stairs?" She asked curiously, and giggling, she ran up the stairs.

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Man, I hate to end it here, it's not a very good place to stop. But the next part to continue it would just make this longer and this chapter is long already! LOL, ok I love, love, love your reviews, they're so grood. I mean good.........and great. Great and good. Sorry, another homestarrunner.com thing. Hermione stop