A/N: Still don't own Harry... nope.
I have decided to start dedicating my chapters to whoever I wanted. So this chapter is dedicated to : Maiden-of-hope (Cole) Thanks for being the best reviewer ever and telling me what you think after each chapter! Makes me happy!
So please read and review! Hey, you might even get a dedication, too! Thanks!
Hermione didn't come down for dinner that night. Harry and Ron started to worry when she wasn't there to greet them in the common room the next morning.
"I wonder if she's alright." Harry wondered aloud.
"Of course she's not. She's going to avoid me for the rest of my life. So much for Hogsmeade." Ron said, looking at the ground.
Harry knew Hermione would come around eventually. "Come on, Ron. Let's just go down and have some breakfast. She won't miss class, we can talk to her then."
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait that long. Hermione was sitting at the Gryffindor table, carefully spreading some strawberry jam on a piece of toast.
"I was wondering when you two would show up." She said as she spooned some eggs onto her plate. Ron and Harry sat across from her, surprised at her nonchalant attitude.
"We missed you at dinner last night, Hermione" Harry said, cautiously.
"Oh! I know, but I got so caught up in all the work I was doing. I got so into it, I ended up falling asleep on one of my essays!" She took a sip from her goblet. "So, you two have Quidditch practice this afternoon?"
"Um, yea. Hermione, you okay?" Harry asked before he took a bite into a sausage.
"Couldn't be better! What would be wrong with me?"
"Well, yesterday…" Harry said, eyeing Ron, who was trying his best not to make eye contact with her.
"What about it?" She said, looking from one to the other. "You two are always… paranoid."
They all ate in silence for a while, until Ginny came to the table and sat down next to Hermione. Ron finally spoke for the first time that morning.
"Where've you been? Hey, why do you look like you're about to cry?" he asked her.
Ginny slowly poured some juice into a goblet. "Oh, nothing… except that Dean and I broke up."
Hermione turned quickly and looked consolingly at her. "Oh, Ginny. I'm so sorry! When?"
"Well, yesterday we had a long talk. We decided to call it quits. I know it's for the best, it's just always hard to break up with someone."
Ron let out a whoop. "Ha! I never liked you going out with Dean! Why don't you just stay single for, oh, a year… or maybe even five?"
"Ron! That's the most insensitive thing you could possibly say! And don't be so overprotective; your sister is a bright, young woman who can date whoever she wants!" Hermione said.
"Woman?" Ron said exasperated. "She is not a woman, she's my little sister. And I'm only saying she could do better."
"Ron, Dean is a friend of yours and a good person. No one will ever be right for her according to you. Well, I think you should let Ginny choose who is and who isn't right for her."
Despite the fact that his friends were fighting, Harry couldn't help but smile. He felt much better knowing that things were going back to normal between them. He didn't know why Hermione was choosing to act as if nothing happened, but then again he didn't understand loads of things she did.
"Alright, alright. Let's wrap this up, we have Transfiguration in a half hour and I don't want to be held up by the two of you squabbling." Harry said, attempting to lighter the mood.
The two stopped midsentence, looked at Harry, and shut their mouths. Soon enough, they were getting their things and going to their first class.
Between classes, Quidditch practice, and homework, Harry had found no free time to really talk to Luna. By the time the weekend rolled around, he was exhausted. Friday night, while eating dinner, he felt a soft tap on his left shoulder.
"Hello, Harry. " He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Hi, Luna. How has your week been?" He moved over so she could take a seat next to him.
"That's kind of what I needed to talk to you about. I am afraid that we got loads of homework, especially from Snape. So much in fact, that I don't think I will be able to spend time with you on Sunday."
Harry's heart sank. He always looked forward to Sundays now that they had started making that the day they spent together.
"I understand, Luna. Your school work should come first. Hey, I was wondering..." He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville looking at them. "Um... can we go into the entrance hall for a moment?"
She smiled, nodded, and got up. They both walked out of the Great Hall and stood near the Grand Staircase.
No one was around, so Harry knew it would be safe to continue. "Listen, Luna. I was wondering, next Saturday is a Hogsmeade day. Would you... um... well, would you like to go with me?" He was certain she would say yes, but he couldn't but feel a little nervous.
Luna blinked and thought for a second. "To Hogsmeade? Just the two of us?"
"Yep. Kind of, like... a date...?"
She stared at him for what felt like an eternity. "A date? Harry, I had no idea you felt that way for me."
His heart started pounding as his stomach did a somersault. Was she going to say no?
"Oh, well... I understand if you..."
But before he could finish, she smiled widely. "Oh, Harry, of course I'll go with you to Hogsmeade! I'm so glad you asked me! We'll talk about the details as the day approaches. For now, I have a Divination essay that is waiting for me upstairs. Good night."
She gave him a big hug and turned to walk up the stairs. He watched her go. When she was out of sight, he decided he couldn't contain himself. He jumped up and down wearing the biggest smile he'd had in a long time. He turned to walk back to dinner, when he stopped. He saw the last person he wanted to see at that moment.
"Practicing your ballet moves, Potter?" Malfoy asked, with a huge grin on his face.
"Bugger off, Malfoy."
"Hmmm... I see you were talking to someone. I believe you left the hall with that nut Loony."
"Shut it, Malfoy. I'm warning you." Harry said with clenched teeth.
"Warning me? You do know I am a prefect. You should learn to respect those with authority, Potter."
"You should learn to stop being a prat."
Both grabbed their wands, they heard a voice from the doors of the Great Hall.
"Potter! Malfoy! What in the world is the meaning of this?"
They turned to see Professor McGonagall. "Both of you, back into the Great Hall at once. Ten points from both of you." Without another word, the two of them walked back to their tables.
"Where were you?" asked Neville.
"Well, I was talking to Luna. She left, and Malfoy showed up as I was about to come back in."
Hermione looked worried. "What happened?"
"Nothing. We exchanged some words, but McGonagall showed up before anything happened. She took 10 points from both of us, though." said Harry.
He turned to Ron. He whispered so that no one else could hear him. "I asked her, and she said yes."
Ron gave Harry a huge smile, whispered "Thanks, mate" and they both turned to the conversation Hermione and Neville were having about a rare flower said to only grow in the Amazon.
On the walk back to the common room, Ron froze and grabbed Harry by the arm. He pulled him aside and waited for the rest to pass them. "Harry, I've just been thinking. Now that Ginny and Dean broke up, and Luna is going to Hogsmeade with you, Ginny is going to ask to spend the day with us! She'll ruin everything. Figures the one time I want her to have a date, she doesn't."
Harry hadn't thought of this. "Relax. We still have a week. We'll think of something. Ask her when Hermione is not around and see if she has any plans. If she says she was thinking of spending the day with you, then we'll come up with a plan. Nothing will get in the way of your day, I promise."
When they got to the Fat Lady's portrait, they stopped. They hid behind the corner and turned their ears to listen to the two people who were standing and talking in front of the painting.
"So you see, I was just thinking that, since you have no plans, maybe you would want to spend the day in Hogsmeade with me? I know you're getting over your break-up with Dean, I just thought it might cheer you up to not be alone the day before Valentine's Day."
"Neville, I would really like that. That's so sweet of you to ask me. I would love to." They waited for a minute. They didn't hear Ginny's or Neville's voices, so they walked up to the painting.
"Brilliant! I guess that solves that problem." Ron said happily. They spoke the password and went into Gryffindor Tower, hoping that Hermione wasn't waiting to tell them to do some homework before they went to sleep.
Please please please review! I haven't gotten any new reviewers in a while and I'm starting to get discouraged! It really only takes a minute, so if you can it would REALLY make me happy. I know, begging is really not flattering, but I don't know what else to do!
