disclaimer: i. do. not. own. harry. potter. enough said. now, continuing...

thanks to all my reviewers! you all make my day when i read the reviews! haha, okay, once again, my thanks to:

johnmenefee21 : "wonderful story..." wow, thanks!

bad to da bone : glad you like it. and yes, im trying to work malfoy into the story best i can. right now, its mostly harry and hermione and letting the readers know how they're feeling. but soon im hoping to add him in somewhere, definately getting into trouble..lol. maybe he can have a duel with Harry...

hinote kitsune nikore : haha, sorry. maybe i didnt come off too clear on the part about them living together. yes, they share a bathroom and common room, but thats it. NO BEDROOM SHARING. lol, their rooms are connected by the bathroom and thats all. theres no telling what would happen if they shared a room...lol..can you say "snog city?"

actingflicka : sorry about that, i didnt mean to refer to her as a Mrs. and not a Miss. my mistake. thanks for pointing it out though, i really appreciate it! ( urgh, i hate it too, when you get toothpaste stuck on you. one day before school i was brushing my teeth and i went to school with it stuck on my chin. knowing my luck it wasn't until 3 period someone pointed it out to me..go figure..)

raine is crazy: thanks! that is like, a huge compliment to me! im glad you like it!

trumpet greek: im glad you said that, i wasn't sure if people would like the way i write. but thanks!

thanks for reviewing chapter three, and im sorry it took me a while to post chapter four! hope you enjoy it!

A/N: i know i say "thanks" alot to my reviewers, but this is my first fanfic and im glad everyone likes it! please dont hold anything back, i welcome opinions, compliments, anything!

ok, without further ado, here is chapter four:

chapter four...Hermiones Thoughts..

That night in Hermione's room...

Hermione sat on her four poster bed looking around. She quite liked the fact that she now had her own room. It certainly gave her more privacy than before, with Parvati and Lavender always gossiping about one thing or another. Not that she didn't like the girls, she just didn't see the point in worrying what Witch Weekly had to say about the Wizard of the Week. She sighed and crawled into bed. When she was snuggled under the covers, her thoughts began to drift. She was so happy to be back at Hogwarts. It was so nice to see Harry and Ron again. She smiled thinking of Ron and Lavender. She knew Ron had liked herself for a while and she was glad he was over that. Things were much more relaxed between the two of them and they didn't fight as much as they had in the past years. But maybe that's because we've all changed Hermione thought. It was true that the trio had matured over the years. No longer were they the frightened first years that had first arrived at Hogwarts six years ago. No, they had definately changed Hermione thought, especially Harry. I mean, Ron changed too, but Harry has changed the most. He no longer had the skinny and boney kneed look about him, now, thanks to all the hard work he had put into practices, his body was muscular and fit him perfect. His hair still lay messy as ever on the top of his head, but now it seemed to go with his look. Hermione hadn't failed to notice that he had a tendency to run a hand through his hair when he was frustrated or concentrating and it had become a habit Hermione learned to love. Harry's eyes still held the most amazing emerald color Hermione could imagine, and to this day she still thought she could get lost in them if she tried. There were some points where she could just stare into them and feel as though the whole world was gone, and it were only her and Harry left. When she looked into his eyes, she felt as if she could tell him anything. Though now these eyes Hermione had come to love also showed all the pain he had suffered over the years. But whenever he smiled, all that changed. He became the Harry Hermione knew before he had to worry about killing Voldemort or after losing Sirius. Hermione knew he blamed himself for going to the Department of Mysteries that day. Even if he wouldn't admit it to her or Ron, she knew he still had dreams about it. Not that it was Harry's fault Sirius had died, but she thought he still felt a little guilty for it all. She sighed, she just wish she could take it all back. All that happened that day, and make it disapear. Not for her sake, but for Harry's. All she wanted was for him to be happy. She wanted nothing more than to roam the streets of Hogsmeade with him and Ron with nothing on their minds-not a care free idea in the world. But until Harry had avenged Voldemort, no of that would be possible.

Turning on her side, she began to think about Harry some more. There was no doubt that he was certainly handsome now. In fact, compared to all the other boys in his year, Harry was the best looking. Ron wasn't ugly, Hermione thought, it was just, Harry had something all the others didn't. She knew girls would probably be flocking over him this year, and if it was up to her, she wouldn't have it. After seeing how hurt he was last year when he went through all the crap he had to deal with Cho, she was ready to take down the next girl that tried to be with Harry.Wait, hold on Hermione, she told herself. Are you falling for your bestfriend? No, she couldn't be. Harry was only her best friend, that was all. Nothing more. So why did she feel so jealous of all the other girls? Wait, there were no other girls, yet. She knew there was soon to be, but for now, she was protecting Harry for no reason. Besides, why should Hermione interfere with his personal life anyway? That was his bussiness, not hers. But if some girl who didn't even care about Harry tried to get him to go out with her or kiss him under the mistletoe like that cry baby did last year, Hermione was not going to sit back and watch the show. There was no way she was going to let Harry fall for some girl who didnt' even care about him. He needed someone who would love and care for him, someone who he would be happy with for the rest of his life. Someone who knew him as Harry, and not just the Boy Who Lived. Harry deserved nothing but the best, and that was that. She cared to much about him to see him get hurt again. She loved im too much to-

Wait. Wait just a second. Did I just say I loved Harry? She did. But it was only in that friendly way. She loved Harry as her best friend. And she loved Ron. But she couldn't forget how she had gotten that fleating feeling in her stomach when she saw Harry standing by Ron today at the Entrance Hall doors. At the time she had dismissed it and told herself she was just happy to see the two of them. But when Harry had given her the hug and softly wispered in her ear, Hermione's butterflies had tripled. And today when she saw him come in the bathroom, she couldn't help but smile when she saw the look on his face. He could be so cute at times it was hard for Hermione not to feel jealous of all the other girls Harry had liked in the past. Was it true? Could she be falling for Harry? She perhaps knew him better than anyone, besides Ron, and couldn't help the fact that maybe she liked him. She remembered in the past when Parvati and Lavender had questioned her on the subject. They had asked her if she liked Harry because she was rarely seen without him and if she was, she was always meeting him and Ron somewhere. But she had told them it was just because her and Harry were friends, and nothing more. The two girls had shared a look that had clearly said, ' yeah right' before turning back to Hermione." You know Hermione, it's not a sin to like Harry. He is quite atteractive and certainly a good quidditch player. I don't see why you don't like him. I don't think I could restrain my self if I were alone with him for that amount of time. I mean, come on. Are you just going to sit here and tell us that you have never liked him?" Parvati had questioned her. Hermione had sighed and replied "Harry and I are just friends. And the only reason we spend so much time alone together is usually when Ron and I are fighting or we're studying." They once again shared a look and then Lavender said, "Yeah, studying, sure.You keep telling yourself that Hermione. Maybe one day you'll realize you true feelings about him. And if you don't, someone will soon." And they had left it at that leaving Hermione confused in her own thoughts.

Thinking back to that day, Hermione now wondered why she had never considered Harry as more than a friend. I guess I was certain we would be only friends. I don't think I ever wanted to be anything more than that. Besides, back in fourth year, I had liked Victor and I wasn't really thinking of Harry. But now it seemed as if that was all she could do. She was confused. What was she feeling for Harry? Was it the need to protect him? Or was it simply because she didn't want him to get hurt? Or could Lavender and Parvati be right? Could there be a possibilty that she did like him? But if she did, why has it taken her so long? I need to stop this, she told herself. If i dont, i wont get any sleep and I'll need it tomorrow. Even if this is a new year, she knew it wouldn't stop Harry and Ron from copying her notes to pass and she would need all her strength to stay awake in Binn's class tomorrow. With this thought rolling over her, she soon fell asleep.

Thanks guys, and don't forget to review! I know mostly all i've written is alot of thoughts and memories, but i'm trying to set a base for the story, to let everyone know how the characters were feeling and all. But i promise there will be more things happening between the two couples in the future! thanks,

Ashton