Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to him.  I do however own Sir Erin of Lexult and yes he is hot.

A/N:  Hey everybody, sorry this took so incredibly long to get out.  Sometimes I have writers block.  This was not one of those times, I was just really lazy.  So sorry but here's another chapter for your enjoyment.  Read and review! 

Whisper~Mad~Crazy                                                                                 Chapter 10-Sir Erin of Lexult

          Hermione rushed back to The Head Common Room.  She didn't feel like being questioned by anyone at the moment.  She hastily approached the painting.

"Password milady?"  The young man asked.

"Qu…quere…quere verum."  She said taking a shuddering breath.  She waited for the portrait to swing open but it never did.  She looked up to the young man blurry eyed.

"Is anything wrong Hermione?"  He asked softly, kneeling down so that he was level with her.

"How do you know my name?"  She replied trying to hide a few stray tears.

"Well the young gentlemen who came by earlier yelled it quite a few times and I didn't think the young master would be named Hermione.  But you didn't answer my question, what's wrong?" 

Hermione hesitated but couldn't hold anything in any longer.  She burst into tears and muttered a few incoherent sentences.  Suddenly she felt someone grab her hand.  She turned to see who it was but no one was there.  She turned back to the painting and realized it was him.  His hands were reaching out of the painting; one was softly holding Hermione's hand while the other held a handkerchief.

"How…what…" Hermione stuttered gazing wide-eyed at the young man.  He laughed and answered her unspoken question.

"Dumbledore has given me permission to walk freely about the school."  He said smiling.

"What?  I don't understand.  So you can come out of your painting?"  Hermione asked.

"Yes, some of the other portraits have been given permission also but they seem to think it's an insult.  They would rather just flit about to other paintings and such."

Hermione stood thinking for a moment before she realized that he was still holding the handkerchief out to her.

"Thanks."  She said taking it and wiping away the tears from her face.  "What's your name?"  She asked suddenly.  He looked taken aback for a moment but proceeded.

"Erin.  Sir Erin of Lexult actually but no one's ever asked for my name before."

"Erin…" Hermione repeated softly.  "That's nice, I like it."

"Well thank you."  He replied.  "Now back to where we started.  What's wrong Hermione?"

Hermione looked down, she could feel the tears welling back up again.  She looked back up to Erin and suddenly stumbled backwards.  He had stepped completely out of his painting and was standing before her.  Hermione felt her feet slip from under her and waited for the fall but it never came.  Erin's hands held her tightly around the waist; he picked her up and set her back on her feet.  She looked up into his eyes, they were a startling gray.  Just like…

"Draco."  She said softly, looking back down again.

"Ah ha!  Now we're getting somewhere."  Erin stated lightly.  He took her by the hand and led her to sit down against the wall.  "Now," he started,  "Who is this Draco fellow and what does he mean to you?"

Hermione took a deep breath before replying.

"Draco is the head boy."  She replied.

"Oh so Draco is the young master." 

"Yes.  And he doesn't, well he did mean something to me but not anymore."

"And why is that?"  Erin asked quizzically.

"It's a long story."  Hermione said softly.

"Well if you don't mind, I have time."

Hermione nodded and took another shuddering breath before launching into the story.

"Well you see, it all started this summer.  Harry, the dark haired one who came by earlier, he's my boyfriend."

"Yes he stated that quite vehemently."  Erin said chuckling.  Hermione smiled.

"Yes, well my parents had planned a week long vacation for just the two of us.  It was a cruise in the Caribbean.  The day that we were supposed to leave one of our friends got really badly hurt and he said he couldn't come.  I was devastated.  I had had visions of the most romantic week of my life and they all came crumbling down.  That's when I met this young man."

"Draco."  Erin stated.

"Yes and no."  Hermione replied.  "You see he offered to go with me on this cruise.  It seems really stupid now to just trust a complete stranger to come with you on a cruise but then I didn't really care, I wasn't thinking at all.  Anyway, he suggested that we not tell each other our names.  So I knew him as Eric."

"Ah I am seeing where the trouble started."

"Uh huh, well we went on the cruise.  It was awkward at first because I had told him that I still had a boyfriend and that I wasn't looking for anything romantic.  He understood but two teenagers on a week long cruise in the Caribbean, I mean how could we have stopped it?"

"I understand, go on."  Erin said reassuringly.

"Well to make a long story short, it was great and I wished it would never end.  I even told him…" She trailed off, she hadn't told anyone about this and she wasn't sure if she was ready to admit it to herself.

"Told him what?"

"I told him I loved him and he told me so too.  We arrived back here and went our separate ways.  I told Harry that I had gone on the cruise with a girlfriend of mine.  Then when we got back here, it was the happiest day of my life.  I thought I would never see Eric again and then it turns out, he was here, he was Draco."  She finished softly.

Erin looked puzzled for a moment.

"Well besides that fact that Harry is still your boyfriend, I don't see the conflict."  He said cautiously.

"Oh no you don't understand.  You see Draco's a Malfoy.  He's been our, and by our I mean mine, Harry and Ron's, worst enemy since the day we arrived here.  Oh and Ron's the red head who was with Harry earlier."

Erin nodded his head but not before Hermione continued.

"He's tormented and teased us.  He's called us, especially me, vial names and never ceases to show how much of a royal git he can be."

Erin sat rubbing his chin, "A Malfoy?  Yes well I know what you're talking about then.  I know who his father is.  Not a very nice man is he?"

"No," Hermione said sadly.

"So to sum it all up you had the best week of your life with your worst enemy and to top it all off now that you know who he is you still have feelings for him."

"What?"  Hermione said suddenly.  "No, I don't still have feelings for him.  Didn't you hear me?  He's a jerk, and a Malfoy."

"What you mean is he's a Malfoy and you think that just because his father has turned out to be a rather bad person, he will too."  Erin interrupted.

"No…no it's not that…I don't still have feelings for him…I don't…" Hermione tried to argue but it was no use, Erin was right.  She did still have feelings for him.

"People can change Hermione."  He said softly.

"I know, but it would never work anyway and besides I still love Harry."

"Oh really?  Is that why you sent him away while you were taking care of Draco?"

Hermione sighed.  He was right, everything he had said was right. 

"I have to stay with Harry, I'm going to stay with Harry."  Hermione said firmly.

"Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"I see."  Erin said standing up and helping to Hermione to her feet also.  "Well, I had better return to my post you never know what sort of brutish students may come to try and pummel their way into the Head Common room."  He stood tall and put his hands on his hips in a heroic pose.  Hermione laughed and walked with him towards the painting. 

"Just remember Hermione," he said stepping back into the portrait, "the right thing to do may very well be the wrong thing for you."

Hermione nodded.  "Thank you Erin."

"Anytime milady," he replied bowing, "anytime."  He swung open and Hermione walked inside.  She stood in the middle of the common room contemplating all the thoughts swirling around in her head.

"No," She said to herself. "I will not love Draco, I love Harry and that's all there is too it.  I will do whatever it takes to make these feelings go away.  And besides Draco, no Malfoy, doesn't seem to care at all."  With that she went into her common room but just outside Erin was shaking his head.

"It will only make things worse Hermione," he said quietly.  "It will only make things worse."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Harry stalked angrily back to the Gryffindor common room. 

"Pride and honor."  He said under his breath.

"Well you don't have to get all up in a huff."  The Fat Lady said letting Harry in.

He walked over to one of the couches and slumped down into it.  Ron, who had been playing chess with Seamus saw Harry come in and went to sit by him.

"What's up mate?"  He asked casually.  "I mean besides the fact that Hermione's acting totally…totally…"

"Angry, brainless, foolish, absurd…" Harry sighed heavily.

"Um actually I was thinking more along the lines of depressed but whatever you say."  Ron said leaning back, folding his arms behind his head.

"Depressed?"  Harry asked jerking his head up.  "You were there when she bit my head off!  You call that depressed?"

"Whoa there Harry, I was there but it was pretty obvious, at least to me.  I mean first on the train and then you saw how she was crying.  Something's up mate but it's not you it's her."  Ron said trying to calm him down.  Harry's face dropped as he said this.

"Oh my god, Ron you right."  He said standing up.  "Something's wrong and I didn't even notice.  No wonder she was short with me!"  Ron watched amused as Harry started pacing.  "I've got to do something.  I've got to go…go…"

"Talk to her?"  Ron suggested smiling.

"Yes!"  Harry replied.  He jogged to the portrait and jumped out of it.

"Just remember to say three things!"  Ron yelled following him out of the portrait.  "I'm sorry, please forgive me, and…!" 

"I know, I know, I love you!"  Harry yelled back.  He turned the corner and started running full speed towards the Head Common Room.

Erin looked up from the book he was reading, he watched as someone ran towards him but stopped to catch their breath.

"Um is there something I can help you with?"  He asked the figure, who was hunched over gasping for air.  Harry stood up clutching his side.

"Yeah just hang on a second."  He said between breaths.

"Oh no not you again."  Erin replied.

"No, no I'm sorry about earlier."  Harry said quickly.  "I don't know what I was thinking but can I please see Hermione?"  Erin thought for a moment.

"Just one moment."  Harry watched as he disappeared from the painting.

Erin stepped through the back of the portrait into the common room.  He went to Hermione's door and knocked on it softly.

"Milady, uh Hermione?"  He listened; from inside the room he could hear Hermione coming to the door.  She opened it a crack and looked out to see who it was.

"Oh Erin it's just you."  She said opening the door all the way.

"Yes milady," He replied bowing slightly.

"Please Erin, call me Hermione."  She said gesturing him into her room.

"Right, there's a young sir here to see you Hermione." 

"Oh?"  She said her eyes lighting up.  "Who is it?"

"It's Mister Potter.  Shall I let him in?"

"Oh um, yes, yes of course."  Hermione replied walking with him to the portrait.  She watched as he climbed back through and slowly opened the painting.  Harry was pacing the hall just outside.

"Harry?"  Hermione said quietly.  His head jerked up as he heard her speak.

"Oh Hermione."  He said rushing into the common room.  "I'm so sorry, I was such an idiot early.  Please, please forgive me."  He softly grabbed both her hands and held them in his.

"Oh, of course Harry."  Hermione said embracing him in a tight hug.  "It's my fault too.  I have been acting a bit off lately."

"No, it's my fault."  Harry said holding her close.  He rested his head on hers as she leaned into him.  He sighed, breathing in the strong scent of vanilla.  He had never really liked vanilla but it didn't matter as long as Hermione liked it.  They stayed like that, in each other's warm embrace for so long they lost track of time.

"Hermione?"  Harry said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."  Hermoine looked up into his dark green eyes.

"I love you too."  She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a light kiss on the lips.  "We should go, it's almost time for dinner."

Harry smiled and took her hand in his.  They stepped out of the portrait and started walking down the hall.  Hermione looked over her shoulder.  Her heart dropped as she saw the look of disappointment on Erin's face.  She shook her head.

'It's my life, not his.'  She thought to herself.

"Anything wrong Hermes?"  Harry asked.

"Yeah I'm starved, let's go!"  She said pulling him quickly around the corner away from Erin's penetrating gaze.

"All right, all right."  Harry said laughing.  "It looks like Ron might have some competition."

A/N:  Well what did you guys think?  Sorry this story sucks.  I swear it'll get better if I ever get to that point.  Anyway read and review you can flame if you want, just don't spear me!  Ha Ice Age funny movie anyway, yeah R/R.