Author's note: Hey, I think this was sooner than the last chapter? Maybe? Ok, someone told me I needed to beat up Ron and Harry. It was a good idea, but I wasn't sure how I was going to work it in, so this is what I came up with. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I Still do not know Harry Potter or any of the rest of the characters or places in this story... Anyway, yeah. Here ya go.

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Chapter 3

The weeks seemed to slowly creep by for Hermione. It was almost Christmas break, and Harry still wasn't talking to her. Ron and Ginny would visit her in her room as often as they could without Harry noticing. Ron still told her she should call it off with Draco, but she told him that it wouldn't happen any time soon.

"Harry will just have to get over himself," she would say.

Harry, however, was not getting over any of the situation. In the corridors he would make a point to not walk near her or speak to her. In the Great Hall he would sit at the opposite end of the table from her. In the classes he and Hermione were in he would sit as far from her as he could. He soon decided he was going to be the top of the class, over Hermione. He spent all of his time studying, and in class he and Hermione began competing.

"What will you come up with if you mix crushed earthworms and diced crickets?" Snape asked in Advanced Potions. He knew exactly what would happen. Either Harry's or Hermione's hand would shot up like a Jack-in-the- box followed closely by the other. And that was just what happened. Harry's hand shot up first followed closely with Hermione's. Snape let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Potter?" He spat.

"A cure for burns," Harry said promptly. When Snape said he was right, he sent Hermione a self-satisfied smirk.

"Does anyone know what it is brewed in and how long it is to be brewed?" Snape did not have to look to know Hermione's hand shot up first, followed by Harry's.

"Granger?"

"It is brewed for 2 weeks in water and minx blood."

"Very good," Snape went on to teach his lesson.

Harry's smirk turned into a scowl directed at Hermione. Hermione, however, did not look at Harry and just took notes.

"He needs to take a major calming potion," Draco whispered to Hermione. "Maybe we should make him one for Christmas."

Hermione glared at him.

"Ok, ok. No. It was just a suggestion," he whispered quickly before turning back to his notes.

After Potions was over, harry was the first person to leave the cold, dank room. Thinking it was safe to talk to Draco and Hermione without Harry seeing, Ron walked over to the couple who were still packing up their things.

"Hey, Ginny and Lavender and I are going to Hogsmeade tonight while Harry is at his private lesson with Dumbledore. We were wondering if you two wanted to come," Ron asked.

"That would be fun." Hermione answered, smiling. "Are you sure Harry wont find out that we all went?"

"'mione, you know how his lessons go as well as I do," Ron said. "You know he will probably not get back to the dorms until midnight or so. It will be no problem at all."

"We'll meet you outside the stone hag,'' Hermione said. Draco stood there with the look of a confused puppy.

"Awesome! See you then!"

They then went their own ways to their various classes.

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Later that night Hermione and Draco sat in the library studying for their potions exam. After 2 hours of intense studying, Draco finally leaned over resting his forehead on his potions book. Hermione put her quill down and looked at him. His blond hair was falling out of place, and over all, he looked tired.

"If I have to recite one more potion recipe...' he trailed off, not lifting his head.

Hermione smiled as she gently rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just one more before we go with Ron and the girls?" She asked.

Draco rocked his head to the side to look up directly into her hazel eyes with his tired ones and mouthed the words, "please, no" to her. He then stuck out his lower lip and gave her a pouty look; a look that a Malfoy should never wear.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Hermione whined.

"Please, 'mione?" Draco sat up and leaved over to her, resting his forehead against hers. "No more potions?"

Hermione gently kissed him. Draco smiled slightly as he wrapped his right arm around her and kissed her back.

"For goodness sake, would you two get a room?" A passing student whispered.

Much to Draco's disappointment, Hermione quickly broke the kiss. Draco looked at her very hopefully.

'No more potions. Please no more potions,' he pleaded quietly.

"One more potion, then we are going to Hogsmeade," she told him.

"Or, how about we skip the potion and just go to Hogsmeade." Draco smiled innocently at her. Hermione shook her head.

Draco groaned before asking what potion she wanted him to recite. When she told him to recite the Potion of Protection he struggled to give her the ingredients. He could only remember two of the five, and they hadn't even gotten into the amounts and procedure yet. After struggling with the ingredients for 15 minutes, he gave up and Hermione gave him the correct answer, which could only mean that she really wanted to get out of the library for a change and go to Hogsmeade. Any other time she would never give out an answer. She would make him find the potion and write it down at least three times to learn it. The two quickly packed up their things and raced to the old, stone hag, which was the secret entrance to a tunnel leading to Hogsmeade. More specifically leading to the basement of the sweets shop in Hogsmeade.

"It's about time," Ron sounded a bit annoyed. "We were beginning to wonder if you were going to show at all."

"Of course we would show. Did you honestly think we wouldn't?" Draco grinned.

Ron ignored him and waved his wand over the stone hag. When the statue moved, opening to doorway into the tunnel, the five of them stepped inside. The door closed behind them instantly, leaving them in a dark, cold open space. Ron and Draco quickly lit their wands, the light illuminating the tunnel ahead of them. They walked down the tunnel to Hogsmeade, laughing and talking together until they reached Honeydukes, the sweets shop. Carefully and quietly they crept out of the basement and into the shop. When they got to the shop Ron quickly bought several chocolate frogs, and Ginny bought a large bag of Berty Bots Every Flavored Beans. Then they stepped out of the shop into the snow. Walking close together to keep warm, they walked, as quickly as they could, to the Three Broomsticks.

"Hey Rosie," Ron called as they stepped inside and found an empty table in the corner by the warm fireplace.

"Well, hello, Ron," Madam Rosemarta replied smiling at them. Ron returned the smile with a bit of a dazed look on his face. Seeing this, Lavender elbowed Ron as if to say, "Hello, girlfriend, sitting next to you."

"Erm, five butterbeers, please," Ron said looking away from Rosemarta.

"Right away," Rosemarta replied flashing another dazzling smile at the group before taking five mugs out of the cupboard. "Where is Harry tonight?"

"He had a private lesson tonight," Ginny said.

"That and he isn't talking to me anymore," Hermione added as Rosemarta placed a tall mug of golden butterbeer in front of her.

"What? Why not?"

"Oh, he doesn't particularly like Draco, and he really doesn't like that I am dating Draco," Hermione explained shortly before taking a drink of her ButterBeer, enjoying the warm feeling that flooded her body.

"Oh, No," Rosemarta said. "Poor girl."

"Oh, yes," Said a bitter voice from behind Draco and Hermione. They felt a cold gust of wind blow through the pub.

Hermione and Draco did not turn around, though they recognized the voice. Ginny propped her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. Ron sat, wide-eyed, staring at the doorway. And Lavender simply sat there, nervously biting at her lip and looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"Um... Harry." Ron's voice jumped an octave. "What are you doing here?"

"Dumbledore had to go to a meeting at the Ministry tonight. So, I thought 'why don't I go and surprise my friends at Hogsmeade.'" Harry looked from person to person. "But now it seems as though I have many traitors for friends."

He threw the door open sending another gust of chilly air into the pub then stormed out. Ron, Ginny, Lavender, Draco, and Hermione looked at each other, not saying a word. Now things were becoming quite a mess.

"So... who's going to talk to him?"

Everyone looked at their mugs. An awkward silence fell like a thick cloud over the table.

"All right, I'll talk to him." Ginny stood up.

"No, I'm the one he is really mad at." Hermione grabbed her friend's arm.

"Oh, no. I'm the one he hates. And I'm the one who started this mess," Draco said. "I'll go talk to him.

"I'm going." Ron pushed his chair back, the legs of the chair screeching against the wood floor. "I'm his best friend, if he is going to listen to any of us, it will be me."

Ron turned and walked out the door. The rest of the group sat silently around the table. The whole pub seemed quieter than usual, even though it was full and busy as usual. Many of the other customers at the other tables would glance at the table of teens. They couldn't seem to figure out why four teenagers were not talking non-stop like most teenagers would be. Hermione glanced nervously around the pub. As she caught people's eyes they would quickly look away and begin talking again. After waiting silently for about ten minutes Hermione couldn't take it any more.

"I'm am going out there to see what it going on," She announced, standing up so quickly that she knocked her chair over backwards.

She was answered with a chorus of "Me too"s and all of them grabbed the coats and headed out the door. They were not expecting what they saw when they looked around outside. A short distance away from the main area of town, Ron and Harry were fighting. The snow around them and under their feet was splattered with crimson spots. Their blood covered either faces, mainly Ron's.

"Potter! Weasley!" Draco yelled. They didn't even look at them.

Hermione screamed, her eyes wide with fear for her friends. Lavender, not handling blood well, fainted instantly, as Ginny gasped and clung to Hermione.

"You guys! Knock it off!" Draco yelled as he ran into, trying to split them up. Harry and Ron just shoved him out of the way before Harry left at Ron, knocking him to the snowy ground. Harry landed on top of the red haired boy and began punching him in the jaw.

"Petrificus totalus!"

Harry and Ron both froze instantly. Their arms slammed to their sides, and their legs clamped together. Harry fell to the ground next to a shocked and bloody Ron. A few feet away, two witches were standing with their wands stretched out. A crisp, winter wind blew through their brown and red hair respectively. Each of their faces reflected both fear and anger. Everyone at Hogwarts knew better than to make either Hermione or Ginny mad. To make them both angry at the same time was to sign your own death warrant.

"Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley!" Ginny screamed, wand still outstreatched. "What ahs gotten into you two? You are both acting like children. You are friends, friends do not act like this!"

'She is sounding more like mum every day,' Ron though.

"Mmmm mm mmm mm mm mmm mmm!" Harry tried to answer.

"Finite incontartum," Hermione lifted the spell. "Now, what was that?"

"Friends don't stab friends in the back!" Harry cried sitting up.

"I did not stab you in the back by hanging out with Hermione. Nor did she stab you in the back by going out with Malfoy!" Ron screamed back.

"Yes, you did, Ron. Did you see who you were having a drink with? Draco Malfoy! The only person I really hate in the whole school. First Hermione dates him, now you befriend him. Not to mention you got my girlfriend in all of this!" Blood was flowing freely from Harry's right nostril as he glared at Ron.

"She is my sister!" Ron cried before spitting a mouthful of blood into the snow. "you are the one who is so stuck up, and self centered that you can't even talk to Hermione because she just happens to be going out with Malfoy."

"My worst enemy," Harry reminded him tartly.

"Hey guys, could we try to settle this calmly? You know, no yelling, fighting, or hexing?" Draco asked cautiously.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Harry and Ron shouted in unison.

Ginny attempted to clean up Harry's face while the boys continued yelling. Harry didn't seem to notice she was there most of the time. When he did know he swatted her away. After trying unsuccessfully for a time, Ginny gave up and just stood back with her arms crossed and her face set in a fierce glare.

Hermione was standing near by watching the screaming and shouting with her left hand in a tight fist on her hip and her right hand clutching her wand at her side. She was ready to stop either of them if they tried to start fighting again or if either of them hexed the other.

'Why can't they just stop?' She asked herself.

'Just silence them both and not let them talk again until they can speak reasonably to each other,' another part of her mind told her.

'But then they can't get this settled,' she argued.

'Like they will be able to get it all settled in one shot anyway.'

'They can at least try. If I silence them then they can't even try.'

"Why don't you just go have fun with your new friends and leave me alone," Harry yelled. He then turned and began to walk away before he stopped and yelled over his shoulder. "Maybe y'all were sorted into the wrong house if you like hanging out with the likes of him."

And with that he was gone. He left Ron gaping at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, trying to say something after him, but not sure what to say. He finally turned back to the rest of them. Hermione and Ginny were looking at him.

"He sure listened to you," Draco said. He put his arm around Hermione and the lead her back into town.

"I'm gonna try talking to him." That was all Ginny said before chasing after Harry, leaving Ron with his unconscious girlfriend.

(Review! Review! Please??? Pretty please???? Ideas anyone?

Chris)