A/N: Wow I opened my mailbox and had about 6 reviews at once! It motivated me to write again! Here are a few responses to some of them...
Hrei-siesn- I have heard of beta readers but I'm not really sure what it is... and yes I know where the grammar and spelling mistakes are, but the only time I have to do these chapters is at night and by the time I'm done I just want to post and don't proof them, sorry!What's a beta reader? And yes, I felt like being different and making someone besides Harry important!
Merlin22- H/L? No way!
Thanks for the reviews guys. By the way, my friend told me vaguely what the titles for books 6 and 7 might be.... 6- Harry Potter and the Green Torch Flame (or something like that) and 7- Harry Potter and the Fortress of Shadows... cool huh? Of course Book 6's is a little lame, too close to Goblet of Fire I think... well, enough of my rambling...onto the story!
Chapter 11- The Order of the Phoenix
"Hermione is Merlin's heir?" Harry asked disbelievingly. Dumbledore nodded. "And I'm Gryffindor's?" Again he nodded and Harry sank back in his chair, head in his hands. He felt Hermione's hand touch his arm. He looked up and took a hold of it. Her fingers were like ice, laced tightly with his. He looked up at her and saw that her eyes were full of fear. 'Hermione's never had to deal with this kind of pressure. Now we're in the same boat, with Voldemort after us..." he thought and squeezed back. Both of them looked back at Dumbledore, though their fingers remained interlocked.
"This knowledge of both of your abilities to fight the Dark Arts and keep a cool head, and of your ancestry, has prodded the Counsel to ask you to join the most prestigious order against the Dark Arts... the Order of the Phoenix. These people need your skills to help in this beginning war against Voldemort. I understand that this is a most difficult decision, and I urge you to sleep on it, for we need your decision soon, and I would request that you refrain from speaking of it to anyone else, including Mr. Weasley. We must use caution now that the war has begun... we can't trust anyone. So I suggest that you both go down to the feast and then to bed to get a good night's sleep. I will owl for you in the morning."
Harry slowly rose out of his chair and reached down to pull Hermione up.
"If it's okay Professor, I think we both would rather go to the dormitory. I can make us something to eat up there," Harry said.
"Very well. Here is a list of the things I am announcing tonight. You may read over them this evening and report to the Great Hall by 9:00 tomorrow morning," Dumbledore replied kindly.
"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied. He took the sheet and led Hermione out. She seemed to be in a total state of shock.
***
When they reached the dormitory, they collapsed side-by-side on the couch. Hermione stared straight ahead, white as a sheet. Harry touched her arm and it was a block of ice.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" he asked.
"Oh, Harry! Nothing like this is supposed to happen to me! It only happens to you! I'm so scared," she whispered. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and he put his arm around her. His head leaned down onto hers and before they knew it, they were asleep, Hermione's head on his shoulder, curled up close and Harry with his arm protectively around her.
***
A few hours later, laughing and talking, the four other Gryffindor prefects returned to the tower. Dean entered first, then turned around to shush Lavender, Parvati and Seamus. Quietly each of them giggled, murmured goodnights and drifted upstairs to their warm comforting beds. About thirty minutes later, Harry woke with a start and looked down at Hermione. Her cheeks had returned to their normal rosy color and she was even smiling a bit. Harry thought that she looked like an angel. He sat there stroking her hair and thinking about her, when she suddenly stirred and her long eyelashes fluttered.
***
'Where am I?' Hermione thought. She blinked and looked up. Harry's bright, emerald eyes held her chocolate brown ones. She hated to seem weak in front of him, but memories of the past day flooded her mind and in spite of herself, a tear began it's course down her cheek. Gently, Harry brushed it away and she smiled up at him.
"Harry, I'm scared," she confided.
"I know," he said. "I'm a little surprised myself...and frightened. But we need to do this, because without us, the effort will fail and our world will be lost to Voldemort. It can't be just one of us...it has to be both, like Dumbledore said."
"Well..Harry, you're right. I can't be selfish like this. And, besides..." she added almost shyly, "we'll have each other." She smiled and Harry grinned back.
"You're right, Hermione. We will won't we? Okay, so we both join the Order?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied firmly...a little shakily, but with conviction nonetheless. And the discussion was over.
"Well, I guess we should go to bed now... oh wait, Dumbledore said to read this."
"I'm so tired. Can't it wait til tomorrow?" she implored.
"No. We should read it now, Little Miss I Have Never Procrastinated In My Whole Life!" Harry replied playfully. He ducked her swat.
"Well, I don't feel like reading... will you read it to me?" she asked, coyly. He smiled and they settled back down to read it. She snuggled up close to him, as if the closer she got would remove the weight of fear sitting on her chest. As he read, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and watched his mouth move, listening to his voice. She loved the sound of it and she felt some of the fear she had melt away.
***
"Bloody hell, she's so close. Wow, she smells good. Is my breath okay?' Harry thought as Hermione leaned in close. As he continued to read, he became aware of how her breathing became even. As soon as he finished reading and looked over at her, she was deep asleep. Smiling, he put the parchment down, placed her arms around his neck and scooped her up into his strong arms. Her face set in a peaceful state, he walked slowly and evenly.
He liked how she folded right into his arms so perfectly. She settled there as one would in a hammock, and Harry looked down at her. An urge to kiss her milk white face overpowered him as he entered her room and placed her in an empty bed. He drew the sheets and comforter around her, and then bent down and kissed the spot where her single tear had fallen. He drew the four poster's hangings shut around her and quietly exited the room trying not to waken the other girls.
Little did he know, when the hangings were shut and a quiet click of the door could be heard, a girl with once bushy brown hair, opened her chocolate eyes and smiled happily.
***
A/N: Well, there's another chapter written. Kindly review, so I am encouraged to write the next chapter. Seeing as tomorrow's Memorial Day, I might write a few more chapters to post as I choose (and I will choose when I have some reviews! Hey I'm a poet and I didn't know it! LOL!) Sorry I'm getting greedy for reviews, it just makes me happy when I get a lot at once! I love to open my mailbox and see a bunch of reviews from bot@fanfiction.net you know? Oh well.... please write one soon! I figured it out and I can now accept anonymous reviews! Happy Memorial Day!