Author's Note: I haven't posted a story in a while, and I thought it was about time to. This is the first story I've put on this account, but I have others... anyway, the following are stats about the story:

Main Pairing: HP?

Chapter #: 2

Rating: PG

Eventually should have: AT LEAST 8 CHAPTERS. Alert me if it turns out to be less.

Okay? So...yeah.

Shout: Chapter Two; Time Goes Quickly

It was the beginning of November. It was a Thursday. "Hey, Harry," Ron said. "Are you going anywhere for Christmas holiday?" Harry thought about it for a minute, and then shook his head. "No, Ron," he said. "I don't think so. Not this year." Ron nodded in agreement. "Mum and Dad are going to Romania to visit Charlie. It doesn't seem like it's been two months, does it?" Ron said thoughtfully. Harry shrugged. "Not really. I guess with Remus around all the time, it's been easier. He's been helping me with..." Ron put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, mate. I understand," he said coolly.

"Ron, no. It's not okay. I've been trying to forget about it, but I just can't. It's too difficult to push something off that comes back for six hours every night. Then I think about it all day. Can you forget about it yet?" Harry asked curiously.

Ron stopped to think. "Well," he began. "I look at you and remember. I look at Hermione and I remember. If I look at Luna, Neville, Ginny, Remus... I can't forget unless I leave the Wizarding World behind. I can't do that. I'm not just going to leave everyone behind just so that I don't remember. Someday, I'll go into a coma and I'll wake up and I won't forget. It'll be just like it used to be. I remember when I was clueless about all of this Wizarding stuff. It's hard enough to look at you and Hermione anymore. I can't forget it. They can't, either. Ginny was really quiet all summer. It was kind of nice."

"So you're staying with me over Christmas?" Harry asked. Ron looked up. Harry had a small grin on his face. It lightened up the tone of the conversation. "Yeah. Hermione's leaving with her parents, though. Not many students are staying here. Malfoy, Ernie, you, me, and Cho are the only students staying here. A few of the professors are leaving, too. Remus says he's going to HQ for the holidays, but he said he'd come back for a while for Christmas, says that he wanted to spend it with you because he knew you'd be lonely. Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout are the only other professors that are leaving."
Ron finished. Hermione stepped down from the last step from the girls' dormitory. "Hello, Harry, Ron," she said cheerfully. "You two have been up to...?" Harry and Ron exchanged glances. They both shrugged. "That would explain you two. Completely clueless. And don't worry, Harry. I'll be back after Christmas a week before break is over. And for the next few weeks, we're going to study, study, study." Harry and Ron moaned. "I'm just kidding! Are you two crazy? It's already snowing! I'll do your bloody homework for you!" The two looked up at Hermione in surprise. "What are you on?" Harry said in disbelief. "Hermione Granger, not wanting to study. Wanting to have fun. This is a completely different year."

Harry and Ron waited for Hermione to get ready to go outside, and she practically jumped off the last five steps.

"Let's go!" she said happily. The three walked outside together, and Harry was the first one out into the fresh powder. He was hidden around the corner. Harry threw a pile of snow at Hermione, who went stiff at the first contact with the coldness of it. "Look!" Harry cried. "Hermione's a tree! Hermione's a tree!" Hermione gave a look of mock anger, and stepped out onto the snow-covered grass. She falsely glared at Harry, who pretended to be innocent. "Don't hurt me, Hermione! I'm just a little kid!" Harry said, as though Hermione would actually cause him any real harm. Hermione laughed. "You are just a little kid! You're too skinny to possibly be healthy, and you're shorter than Ron is!"

Harry nodded and acted as though he were recalling a sad moment. "I know. It's from the malnutrition I received when I was living with the Dursleys. Oh, what dreadful days!" he said softly, as Ron caught him before he fell to the ground. Harry laid the back of his hand on his forehead and said, "'Oh, nobody knows the trouble I've seen...'" Ron heaved Harry back up to his feet and they laughed. Hermione rolled her eyes, and a warm feeling passed over her. "This is what I'm going to be missing out on all Christmas break," she muttered to herself. She laughed along with her friends. 'They're too innocent,' she thought. 'Too innocent for their own good.'

As they continued to play in the snow, Hermione began to regret more and more that she was leaving in December. When they were done, they swept all of the snow off themselves and slowly walked up to Gryffindor Tower. "Hermione, what're you doing for the holidays?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed. "I don't know. I think my parents said something about a resort in Mexico. But honestly, I don't really want to leave." Ron and Harry looked up. "Why not? I hear Mexico's fun," Ron said. "A few of the students here have been there, and they say good things about it."

"Oh, Ron. I don't want to leave you here with Malfoy and Cho. I especially don't want to leave Harry here with Malfoy and Cho." Harry grinned out of Hermione's caring nature.

"Anyway, Hermione. Why wouldn't you want to leave me here with Malfoy and Cho?" Harry asked.

"Because Cho's your ex, and Malfoy's an ass," she answered in an it-should-be-obvious tone.

"Besides, it's not smart to leave you and Ron alone with someone who hates my guts." Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. "Good thinking, Hermione," Ron said. As they entered the common room, they all sat around the fire and talked about what happened over the summer. Harry didn't say much, and he simply listened to everyone's summer stories.

"Harry, what happened at the Dursleys?" Hermione asked. She had her head tilted slightly, and she looked into his dark green eyes, and he couldn't resist telling her one small part of the summer. "Well, I had a summer job at a movie theater," he said. "I made OK money, and that's how I paid for a lot of my school things." Harry had much more to his summer than that. He had been forced to repaint the Dursleys' house, mow the lawn every two days, wash the car, ignored Dudley, and got checked out by pretty British girls that walked down the street when he was mowing the lawn. Apparently, they knew that he was sixteen. Every time he flashed a grin at them, they'd giggle and blush. Harry would shake his head. "And I got checked out by a lot of girls." Ron looked jealous. "Don't worry, Ron. If you were mowing the lawn in the heat wave of the day, you'd get checked out, too." So much for not saying very much to his friends.