Chapter Six: The Other Side of Hermione

When the weekend came, Harry still didn't know what he and Brianne were going to do. They went with Ron to the gate and Harry asked her.

"What are we going to do today?"

"I don't know. I was wondering that myself. Maybe we could just hang out with Ron?" she replied.

"That would be fine with me. Are you sure you want to hang out with me and Ron?" he asked her. "You could be the only girl."

"Where's Hermione?" she asked. "Never mind. I grew up sort of a tomboy. Most of my friends are usually guys."

"I'm not sure. Haven't seen her all morning," he responded. "Why did you hang out with the guys?"

"I'm not girly at all. I don't own a dress and I usually never wear make-up," she answered.

"Oh."

When they got to Hogsmeade, they first went to Zonko's. Brianne bought some joke candies to "play jokes on the girly-girls" as she had put it. She also bought some Filibuster Fireworks. After they paid for the joke stuff, they headed over to Honeyduke's where they spent most of their time. They bought a lot of candy. If Hermione had been there, she probably would have made some sort of comment about her parents and the fact that they were dentists. Harry was glad that she wasn't there. She always rolled her eyes at Harry and Brianne. He thought it might be because he did stuff with her that he might've done with her. He didn't know. Maybe she was jealous and thought she never should've dumped him. Maybe not. Harry was confused.

After they left Hogsmeade they went up to the castle. Harry and Ron put their purchases in their dorm and went downstairs.

"Where's Hermione, anyway?" asked Brianne.

"I don't know. Isn't she in your dorm?" responded Ron.

"Nope. She's probably in the library or something." Brianne answered. "You can go check the dorm if you don't believe me."

"We're not allowed to go in there." Harry said. "Besides, we believe you. She is probably at the library."

"Honestly." Brianne said. "Like they think they we wouldn't break that rule..."

Brianne looked at Harry trying not to laugh. Harry knew that his eyes got real big and he could feel himself blushing. She just smiled at him. He sat down with her on the couch and Ron sat on the armchair. Ron left the room saying something about the loo. As soon as he had left, Harry moved closer to Brianne.

"You know what, Harry?" she asked him.

"What?"

"I think I am falling in love with you." He looked into her eyes and she moved closer to him.

"Me too," he replied. He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back. Suddenly they were just plain snogging. Ron walked in the room.

"Ahem," he said with a chuckle.

Harry didn't pull away suddenly but he did slowly so Ron didn't think he was embarrassed. Brianne smiled at him. "What?" Harry said.

"I know it isn't uncomfortable for you but it is for me," replied Ron.

"Okay we'll wait," Brianne said. Harry laughed.

Hermione walked in the room and saw Harry sitting very close to Brianne with his arm around her. She rolled her eyes and went to her dorm.

"What do you suppose is her problem?" asked Ron.

"I think it is because she is regretting that she broke up with you. She probably thinks it should be her sitting here instead of me," Brianne said.

"How do you know?" asked Harry.

"Just a hunch. And plus...I am practically sitting on your lap," she added.

"True," Ron said. "That would make me jealous."

"I'll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom," Brianne said as she got up.

"Do you need Harry to company you?" Ron asked.

Brianne threw him an over the shoulder glare and left.

"Because I'm sure he won't mind," he added when the door shut.

"Shut up Ron," Harry said while punching Ron.

About five minutes later, Brianne came back to the common room. She had a bloody lip. Harry jumped up and ran over to her.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Ask her," Hermione walked into the room. She had a bloody nose and a black and blue eye.

"What happened?" he asked again this time getting a little angry.

Tears started rolling down her face. "That should've been me there with you, not her! I didn't want to break up with you, but I had to! I have a reason; I just can't say it! I love you Harry!"

With that, she ran up to her dormitory. He turned to Brianne who had an I-told-you-so look on her face. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and started cleaning her lip. After he was finished, he turned to Ron. "Go talk to her."

"But we're not allowed in there," he said.

"Go talk to her."

"Alright, alright," he said as he left.

Harry sat down with Brianne on the couch. "What exactly happened?"

"I walked into the dormitory and Hermione ran up to me and punched me. I defended myself and punched her back. She started screaming about how she loves you and pushed me. I punched her in the eye and knocked her down. I then ran out here to get you," she said.

"Oh."

"Harry?" she asked. He looked up. "I never made it to the bathroom. I have to go!"

"Go," he said to her. Instead of going upstairs, she left the common room to go the corridor bathroom.

Ron came down the steps with a shocked look on his face. "She...she.."

"She what? What happened?" Harry asked.

"She kissed me!" Ron said with the same look of shock.

"What?" Harry demanded. He was confused.

"She said that she loves you. But she just can't go out with you. She said she loves you, but then again she doesn't. Then she kissed me," he replied.

"What did you do?" Harry asked.

"I left," Ron replied. "I didn't know what to do! Where's Brianne?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh, ok," Ron said. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Night Ron."

Ron went to the dorm and Harry sat and waited for Brianne to return. When she did, she sat down on the couch with Harry.

"Sorry about what happened with you and Hermione," he said.

"It's not your fault," she said. "She broke up with you. You were fair game. It is not your fault about what happened. You couldn't do anything about it."

She moved closer to him. He kissed her softly, trying not to hurt her lip. When he pulled away from her, he saw a tear fall down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she said. Harry gave her a look of sympathy. "Ok. I don't want you to be in the middle of this. Hermione and I aren't going to get along so well and that will be tough for you. She is one of your best friends."

"I'm on your side," he said. "I'm not in the middle. She tried to beat up my girlfriend. I'm mad at her too."

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem," he replied and hugged her.

She was starting to fall asleep in his arms. He nudged her awake and told her to just lay on the couch. He didn't want her going to her dorm because Hermione could be waiting there to ambush her or something. He went upstairs and got some extra blankets and some pillows. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. He kissed her forehead and whispered his goodnights. He tucked her in and went upstairs to get some sleep as well. He was tired. He couldn't sleep though. He was thinking about what Hermione had said, told Ron, and told Brianne. After what felt like hours, he fell asleep.

He got up the next morning rather late in the morning. The rest of the school was probably half way through breakfast. He didn't get a good night's sleep. He guessed it was because he was worried about Brianne. He wanted to go to the common room right away but he made a pit stop. Holy crap, he had to pee.

He went downstairs and saw that Brianne was right where he had left her. She was still sleeping. He sat down on an empty spot on the couch and she awoke in an instant.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You are on the common room couch. You fell asleep here. I didn't want to take you up to your dormitory because of Hermione. She could hurt you while you sleep. I'm surprised she didn't do anything when she went down to breakfast," he replied.

"Oh," she said. "I'm not feeling so well. Could you carry me up to my dorm. I think I'm going to lay down or something."

"Sure," He picked her up and carried her up the stairs. They went in the girls' dorm and he laid her on her bed. He kissed her on her forehead and headed for the door.

"Harry?" she asked. He turned around. "Could you get my homework for me?"

"Yep," he replied.

"Thanks a bunch," she said. "Love you."

"Love you too," he said with a smile. He went downstairs. He heard the bell ring. He had missed breakfast. His first class was Care of Magical Creatures. He left the castle and headed down to Hagrid's hut.

He was one of the first ones there.

"Where's Brianne?" Hagrid asked. "I figgered that she'd be comin' with yeh."

"She isn't feeling well today. I think she is sleeping. Could I have her homework to give to her?" he replied.

"No homework today," Hagrid said. "But you can bring her a cup o' my famous soup. It'll do wonders if she ain't feelin' good."

"I will come and get it after classes," Harry replied.

That morning's classes were boring because Brianne wasn't there. When they needed to be in pairs, Ron was with Hermione. Harry wondered if the kiss messed up his friend's brain. Or maybe it was those stupid Ministry brains? He had pretty much spent the day with Neville. He was just happy that he didn't have potions that day. For Divination, it was completely boring. He had to go to Trelawney's room. He almost fell asleep when the bell rang. He headed down to Hagrid's hut to get the soup and then went to Gryffindor Tower.

He knocked on Brianne's dorm door and went inside. She was sitting awake with a book in her hand. This was the first time that Harry had ever seen her read outside of class. He set her homework on her trunk and sat on her bed.

"Where'd you get the book?" he asked.

"Hermione." Harry was shocked. "She came and apologized. She said she was just confused about her feelings and that she said that it was her fault for dumping you. She said it was a stupid mistake and she realized that she can't get you back. What do you got there?"

"A cup of Hagrid's famous soup. He said it will make you feel better. I don't know what's in it but you might feel better if you don't eat it," he said and she smiled.

"You're right. I feel better already!" she said. "I think I just needed a day off to think."

"What did you think about?" Harry asked.

"Lots of stuff," she responded. "Mostly you." She smiled at him and kissed him. Her lip must've been feeling better.

Harry pulled away and said, "I think we'd better do this somewhere else. Not in your bedroom."

"Yeah I guess you're right," she said as she started to get up. "Wait. If I'm spotted kissing you, people with think I'm not really sick. I have to stay here."

"Ok," he said and kissed her again. He got up and left.

When he got to the common room, Ron gave him a puzzled look. "Why were you in Brianne's dorm?"

"I had to give her some soup from Hagrid. He said it would make her feel better."

"Oh, ok," Ron sighed. "Do you think this has something to do with Hermione?"

"Nah. Apparently Hermione apologized. Said something about confusing her feelings," he said. "I think it's just Brianne's time of the month. Maybe Hermione's." He chuckled a little bit.

"Probably," Ron said. "Let's go to dinner."

When they went down to dinner, Hermione was waiting for them. "I'm sorry for trying to beat up Brianne. I don't know what made me do it. I think I was just confusing my..."

"It's okay," Harry interrupted. "Brianne explained everything."

"Oh," said Hermione. Harry could tell that she was feeling awkward because of some of the things that she told Brianne that she probably told him.

The rest of the dinner was pretty much silent except for the argument between Seamus and Dean about which sport is better.

"Quidditch is awesome. You're flying around on broomsticks. Football sucks!" Seamus said. "All you do is kick a ball around trying to get it in a net! No flying!"

"Soccer is less dangerous than Quidditch, though," replied Dean.

"If it is more dangerous, it is most likely more fun!" screamed Seamus. That was pretty much the end of that debate.

After dinner, Harry and Ron played Wizard's Chess while Hermione did her homework. At least Harry thought she was doing homework. Harry was getting a lot better with his chess set. The pieces were starting to listen to him. After a lot of games of chess, Ron said he was going to bed. He was the last one besides Harry and Hermione. Hermione finally got up and headed to her dorm.

"Hermione?" asked Harry. "Could you see if Brianne could come down?"

"Yep," she said. "If she can't, I will let you know."

"Thanks," replied Harry.

About two minutes later, Brianne came down in her PJ's. She was wearing a silk gown that made Harry feel awkward. She didn't look like she just woke up. She was probably doing homework or reading again.

"It's about time," she said as she sat down.

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"I was waiting for you to either come up to talk to me or come and get me," she replied.

"I figured that if I came and got you, people would know you're not sick," he said.

"Ok," she said and hugged him.

"Let me guess," he said as she let go of him. "You were thinking about me again."

"Yep," she said and then kissed him. "You are pretty much all I think about."

"Cool," he said and kissed her. "I like your...er...outfit."

"Thanks," she said. "I thought you would like it. It's sexy." Harry blushed.

"Er...," he responded. She just laughed. He leaned in and kissed her. He had never kissed her like this, though. She must have enjoyed it because they didn't stop until they needed to breathe.

"Wow," she said.

"You like?" he asked.

"I like very much," she said and smiled. She pulled him closer to her.

He kissed her again. They started to kiss more and more. Harry wasn't even sure that they stopped kissing long enough to open their eyes. He felt her hands undoing his shirt but he didn't stop her.

She stopped herself. She apparently caught herself. He just pulled her closer to him. Her body felt warm against him. He liked it. She pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I was taking off your shirt!" she said with a blush.

"That's okay," he said and kissed her. He buttoned up his shirt. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight Brianne."

"Goodnight. I love you," she smiled and kissed him.

"Love you too," he said and went to his dormitory.

Harry walked into the dorm thinking about what had just happened. It was very hot in that room. He wasn't sure if it was just him until he saw Seamus, Dean, and Ron all under the heaviest of blankets. Harry undressed and put on a pair of boxers and got into bed. He threw the comforter at the end of the bed and only covered himself with a sheet. He fell asleep and was dreaming about Brianne. He woke up and three in the morning in a cold sweat. He decided to go downstairs and sit on the coziest armchair to just think.

He walked down the steps, still in what he wore to bed, and went to sit in the armchair. He had to sit on the couch, though because the armchair was already occupied. From it, he could hear quiet music. At an instant, he knew who it was.

"What are you doing up?" he asked.

"I come down here to think," came Brianne's voice from the chair.

He sat down on the rug in front of her, listening to the music that she was playing. After she was finished, she set her guitar down and Harry noticed that she had changed clothes. She was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of boxers. He wondered where she had gotten the pair of men's underwear when her voice broke the silence.

"Harry, you're half-naked, do you know that?" she asked.

"Yep. You're wearing men's underwear, do you know that?" he asked her.

"Yes I do. Do you know where I got them?" she asked him.

"No, I don't," he replied.

"Today while everyone was in classes, I went to your dorm and nicked them from your wardrobe," she said.

"That's why they look familiar," he said with a smile. He took a closer look. "Hey! Those are my favorite pair!"

"Maybe that's why I liked them so much," she said laughing.

He just laughed back. He sat and kind of spaced out until Brianne's voice broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?" she asked him.

"I don't know, stuff, I guess," he replied. "You?"

"Stuff," she said with a smile. They sat and stared at the fire for a few minutes and Harry got up.

"I'm getting really tired. I think I'm going back to bed," he said.

"What do you mean you think you're going back to bed?" she asked.

"It means, that I might have to make a pit stop at the boys' loo," he said.

"Oh. Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight," he said and then walked up the stairs. He went to the bathroom and went to his dorm. He laid down on his bed again thinking about Brianne. Although, he was very tired, he couldn't quite get to sleep. He finally fell asleep to the rhythmic pattern of Seamus's snoring.

He awoke late again the next morning. He wasn't sure why this time because he had nothing to worry about. He was tired though.

He walked down the steps and saw Brianne sitting on the couch waiting for him. "Why aren't you at breakfast? You didn't have to wait for me. You could've woken me up."

"Nah. I figured I would let you sleep," she said as she stood up and hugged him. It was Saturday and they had the day off. They didn't have much homework that week and Harry managed to get it done. He wondered if Brianne got hers done.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, startling Harry when she broke the silence.

"Not really. Maybe that's why I woke up so late."

"What do you want to do?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he replied. "I think Hermione said something about studying."

"Oh, ok," she said. "Let's go down to the Great Hall. If we don't eat, we can at least talk with our friends."

"Ok," he said as she led him out of the common room. As they walked down the corridor they talked a little. "I woke up late too. So I wasn't even waiting long, anyway. When I woke up, I was the only one left in my dorm," she said.

As they walked in the Great Hall, they saw Ron sitting pretty much by himself eating his breakfast. As they sat down in front of them he looked up.

"Morning, Harry, Brianne. Where's Hermione? I need to talk to her," he said a little too nervously.

"I don't know. I thought she was with you. She wasn't there when I woke up," Brianne replied. Ron had a shocked look on his face. "She's just probably in the library

"Yeah, probably," sighed Ron as he looked back down at his breakfast.

"Brianne and I aren't doing anything right now. We can go look for her," Harry said.

"Ok," said Ron. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Brianne.

They got up, leaving Ron to eat. They went to the library and looked around but there was no Hermione. They wandered the corridors, looking in empty classrooms but were unsuccessful. They kept walking until they stopped in front of the girls' lav.

"I'll go in and look for her. You just wait here," said Brianne. She went inside the bathroom and immediately, Harry heard her scream. He ran inside. They had found Hermione but they weren't expecting this.

Harry stepped in front of Brianne and looked at his friend. She had hair all over her face and she had a snout. Her eyes were jaundiced and she was growling and baring her teeth. She was a werewolf. "Brianne. Get out of here. Go get Lupin as fast as you can," She ran out of the room and left Harry facing his rather scary friend. She lunged at him trying to bite him.

He dodged the attack. He pointed his wand at her and screamed "Stupefy!" The spell had hit her dead on and she fell to the ground for some reason. He thought that it would have no effect on werewolves. He whispered "Sorry 'Mione" right as Brianne and Lupin walked in the door. Brianne ran up to Harry and hugged him while Lupin ran over to Hermione.

"Yep, definitely a werewolf," Lupin confirmed. "You two. Go into a stall. I'm going to bring her back and force the potion down her throat. Go and hide now. Make sure she can't see you."

Harry and Brianne ran into a nearby stall and they each stood on the toilet. It was awkward but they managed to keep their balance. They heard Lupin say 'Ennervate' and Hermione's growls as he forced her to drink. Then they heard Hermione's crying.

"Ok. You can come out now," Lupin said to Harry and his girlfriend.

Harry ran over to Hermione, dropped to his knees, and embraced her in a hug. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. I didn't want you to be scared of me," she said. "See why I had to break up with you?"

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"I was walking down by the lake and something bit me," she said. "Before my first transformation, I checked the library to see if my symptoms were true."

"Hermione. You should have told me anyway. You should have told Lupin. He can get you treatment to stop this," Harry told her.

"He's right, you know," said Lupin.

"I know. I just couldn't. I was scared," Hermione replied. Harry hugged her again. He looked up at Brianne. She looked like something was wrong with her. He got up and went over to Brianne. When he went to hug her, she shoved away and ran out of the bathroom, leaving Harry with a shocked look on his face.