[A/N: First of all, all the crap in bold was written by Angels Touch while she was being so super cool while under the influence of some special happy drugs.

Secondly, thanks to all of you who reviewed the first two chapters. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't have continued writing this fanfic.

Hysterik-Angel- I'm glad you liked it and, believe me, there will be plenty more episodes with Ron and Hermione

Nocturnal007- thanks for stopping in to read; I have yet to read yours

Alias: Mystic- I'm glad that such a great writer like yourself has enjoyed my little fanfic as much as you did…hint, hint…plenty more Draco/Harry conflicts

Angels Touch- the god of alias! This chapter is for you.

Jwolf2006- I know you've already read the first three chapters but now you can read it with the rest of them.

Kim- here's chapter three, now you won't have to threaten me anymore to post it.

Hellaprep06- just to let you know, I double-checked on the whole 'Dumbledore saying Voldemort's name anytime anywhere'. Guess what? You were right, so I changed it in chapter 2 and re-posted it.

Babymeeko- you'll see more of curious DADA teacher soon, keep reading. Glad you liked it.

Merlindamage- thanks for reading. I'm glad you liked it so much. And it is such an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rowling. Thanks for thinking that I have some of the talent she has. You really brightened my day with that review.

Okay…so for all of my lovely fans. Without further ado…I give you

CHAPTER THREE!]

Chapter 3- A Hidden Secret

"Harry? Harry!" Hermione said, shaking him by the shoulders. "Harry? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Harry asked. He looked around and realized that he was lying on the floor of the Great Hall. The room was empty, except for the persons looking down on him with worried, questioning glances.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "All of a sudden you just…shouted. You started shaking and fell to the floor."

Harry noticed that Hermione was incredibly pale. "It was nothing," Harry said and sent a comforting smile up at her. She looked back with an unsure expression on her face.

"Are you sure you're all right, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir." A look of understanding registered on Hermione's face.

"Just to make sure, Madame Pomfrey would like you to stay in the hospital wing tonight," said Dumbledore. "You two will have to take him there," he said turning toward Ron and Hermione.

"Yes, sir," Ron said.

"Of course we will," Hermione added.

"Well, I must to be off. There are other matters I have to attend to." Dumbledore said and left the three of them alone in the Great Hall. Harry also stood; ready to leave. Although, he did not want to go to the hospital. He had been there too many times; four times had been after dealing with Voldemort. Too caught up in his own thoughts, Harry had started walking down the corridor without realizing it.

"Harry?" He heard Hermione's voice beside him. "What's going on? We need to know." Harry felt her hand grab him by the arm and stop him completely. Harry turned to face her. "You're hiding something. I can tell. Why won't you tell us?"

Because I know you'll be completely worried like you were the last time my scar hurt, Harry thought. It had been the same way during their fourth year and Harry had awoken with pain searing through his scar. He had told both of them, and Hermione had overreacted. She started sputtering out ideas to tell Dumbledore or Sirius or someone. Harry had known exactly how everyone would react. 'Poor little Potter. He woke up, and his scar was hurting. Call the Daily Prophet.' He didn't want that to replay once again this year.

"Come on, Harry," Ron said. "We're worried about you."

Harry looked at both his friends carefully, and – deciding he'd hid enough from them the past five years – gave in to the need to tell them what had happened.

He nodded to them and started walking once again, trying to figure out the best way to tell them. Deciding to be blunt, he muttered, "It was my scar. It hurt. That's all."

"What?" Hermione said, turning thirty shades of white. "But it couldn't…I mean, Voldemort couldn't be here, could he?"

"It's not that big of a deal, Hermione," Harry said.

"Not that big of a deal? Harry! You passed out from the pain!"

"Don't worry about it!"

"How can I not? Voldemort wants to kill you! I think that's a good enough reason!"

"Ugh! This is why I didn't want to tell you in the first place. I knew you would blow it completely out of proportion."

He turned on his heel and rushed down the corridor, ignoring the random squeaks escaping from Hermione's mouth as she stared, mouth dropped open in disbelief. He followed the halls blindly to the Gryffindor Common Room.

He turned over in his mind the reasons why – in the middle of Albus Dumbledore's greeting speech – his scar had decided to be a nuisance and cause him to black out. It was a pain, really, to be known as the kid who randomly passed out throughout school, but usually the pain would come late at night after a vivid nightmare or a sudden flash of…something, he couldn't quite name. Dumbledore seemed happy to classify it as deep emotions from Voldemort's end, but Harry didn't quite agree. Something was brewing. After seeing Voldemort stronger than ever at the end of the last school year, he knew something was going to happen. But when?

----

"You don't think I blow things 'completely out of proportion,' do you?" Hermione asked Ron as she watched Harry walk out of sight. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"Well, you asked, so I'm going to tell you anyway," said Ron, walking to her side. "For one, I don't know how you don't go crazy worrying over him like you do."

"You two keep me partially sane, you know that perfectly well. And the only reason I worry about you is because you always go off and find trouble for yourselves," Hermione interrupted.

"Now that's not completely true. We didn't go looking for trouble when Sirius came and dragged me under the Whomping Willow; we weren't looking for trouble when we went to Hagrid's hut to find out who was petrifying all of you; we weren't –"

"When you were dragged under the Whomping Willow, we had gone out of the castle, without permission, to be by Hagrid's side for the execution. We weren't supposed to be to be outside at all! Also, when you went to Hagrid's hut, don't you remember where you went afterwards? Into the Forbidden Forest!" Hermione said, raising her voice. "Another place you weren't supposed to be that night, or any night for that matter! You have always been going places and doing things you weren't supposed to be doing!"

"Why are you yelling at me? Most of the time we were trying to help someone! Don't you remember where you were while we were in the Forest? You were petrified!"

"That is something I would rather forget," Hermione mumbled angrily.

"Well, we won't be able to. We won't be able to forget anything that has happened to us these past five years."

"But it would sure help if you would stop bringing them up. Especially now! You know we were talking about Harry."

"No, we were talking about how you 'blow things out of proportion.'"

"No, we weren't!"

"Yes, we were, and you know it. That's how we got to discussing our bad luck in the first place."

"Bad luck? So, you think it was just 'bad luck' that Voldemort is trying to kill Harry?! I would think you're not even worried about him!"

"You know full well that I'm worried about him, but you're just too stubborn to realize it." Ron said, moving past her as Harry had done just moments before.

"We…are…not…finished…talking!" Hermione yelled at him as she ran to catch up. She grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. "One. I am not stubborn. Two. You're the one who doesn't show your feelings. Three. Don't start blaming me for things you don't even understand." Now it was Hermione's turn to walk away. She marched past Ron on the path that would lead her to the Gryffindor Common Room. Too much was happening their first day back, and Hermione had a feeling that the rest of the year would not be much better.

----

"She's right, you know?" Ron's mind was telling him.

You think I don't know that!

Ron staggered through the hall; his thoughts bombarding him the entire way. "Just tell her already."

I will not!

"Stop being such a stupid little git! She'd want to know. She'd want you to tell her."

She would not.

"Oh really? How would you know? You don't really spend that much time getting to know her."

She's my best friend, and has been since our first year. You would think I would know her well enough by now.

"Then what do her parents do for a living?"

They're…um…they're…

"See! I told you so."

Well, that doesn't count. She rarely talks about her parents. Besides that's not really all that important. I've been there for her.

"Yeah right. Harry has been there for her more than you have."

Now don't go bringing Harry into this. He's not the problem.

"Finally you have admitted to something that is true. Your problem is that you're such a spineless little coward, and you're jealous that Harry is closer to her than you are."

I am not!

"You are to! If you're not, then why won't you just tell her already?"

Because she's my best friend, that's why! And I don't want to ruin that.

"Oh, I think you've done that enough times already."

Bloody hell! I have, haven't I? And after all the fights we've had, I'm surprised she's taken me back. How do I know she will this time? Great job, Ron, you've pretty much ruined every chance you've ever had with her!

"Password?" A woman's voice drawled.

"Huh?" Ron looked around himself, just noticing that he had reached the one spot he did not want to be at this moment. "Caput Draconis," Ron murmured. The portrait swung forward and Ron entered, moving quickly through the large group in the common room and up to the boys' dormitories.

Ron flopped onto his bed, fully clothed. He seemed to be alone. Then, he heard mumbling nearby and knew he wasn't. He looked beside him and noticed the draping around Harry's bed was closed.

Ron lied on his back and waited for sleep to take over his body. Slowly, his eyes closed and he drifted off into a troubled sleep…

Ron looked around himself and was confused to see a large group sitting in rows and looking transfixed on a couple standing up in the front. The woman was dressed in a beautiful white dress; the man, in a pressed suit. The couple smiled fondly at each other. He walked closer to hear a man speak. "These are your solemn vows. Repeat after me."

Another voice spoke, "I, Hermione Granger, take you as my husband as long as we both shall live."

Hermione? Getting married? What is going on?

The first man spoke again, "Those who believe these two people should not be wed speak now or forever hold your peace."

Everything was silent.

"I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." The couple shared a brief kiss and then faced the group. "It is my privilege you introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Harry…"

Ron shot up from his bed.

It's just a dream; it's just a dream. He told himself repeatedly, reassuring himself, but sleep would not come again that night.

[Well…that's it (for chapter 3, at least). I hope you like it. So, read and review. I need all the comments I can get. Caty Jean]