Disclaimer:I hate you and yet I love you J. K. Rowling because I will never own Harry Potter and co.

Chapter 12: Midnight Massage

The climax of their year seemed to be over. Now that it was getting close to Christmas, midterms seemed to be the only things on their minds. Harry had finally found a bad side to being Hermione's boyfriend. She made him study for the tests instead of taking it easy which was what he would of like to be doing. But he made sure that he wasn't the only one that Hermione got to make their lives miserable: Ron got stuck with him too.

Hermione dragged another large book from the stack Sunday night as they were studying for Transfiguration. The boys groaned in unison as she started to quiz them in animagus facts.

"C'mon Moine," sighed Harry exasperatedly, eyeing the volume of a book, "we have been studying since seven, it is now eleven. That is four freaking hours! Do you understand me? Four hours!"

"You want to do well don't you Harry?" Hermione asked glaring at him over the top of the book. "You need good grades if you want to be an Auror when we leave, right? Then you need good grades in everything!"

Harry muttered under his breath, silently cursing her for bringing up that and trapping him so easily.

Ron yawned, stretched, and rubbed his eyes blearily. "Harry is right Moine. I don't think that I have studied this much in my entire life. There is such a thing as too much studying. All work and no play makes boyfriend and friend dull boys." he quoted.

Hermione also yawned, and then sighing closed the book to the weak cheers of Ron and Harry. "I guess we can quite for tonight. It won't do me any good if you two are falling asleep over your books."

Ron grinned and hopped off the couch where the three of them had been crammed for the last four hours. Heading toward the boys' staircase, he called over his shoulder to them, "Good, well I am of to bed. See you two in the morning." He dashed up the stairs before Hermione could change her mind.

Harry just shook his head as he watched Ron's back disappear up the stairs. Grinning he turned toward Hermione and gave her a quick kiss before he also got off the couch, stretching his back in till it cracked loudly.

"Ugh, I am stiff." He said rubbing his back, trying to relax his tight muscles.

"Come here Harry let me help." Hermione said patting the floor in front of her. Harry raised his eyebrows at her but did as he was told.

"What are you going to…?" he started to ask but then Hermione's hands descended on his back and started to massage it gently. Harry forgot what he was going to ask as he felt her hands move across his back. Working slowly, Hermione made her way across his broad shoulders and the base of his neck. Feeling the tight knots of muscle near his shoulder blades she dug her hands in deeper, and felt to some satisfaction the muscles slowly relax.

"Better?" she asked as she continued down his back. He just nodded, his eyes closed as he used all the energy that was left in him to not fall asleep. When she was done he opened his eyes slowly and looked at her mournfully.

"Done already?"

"Yes, I have been massaging you for the past twenty minutes. It is time for bed."

Harry sighed and got up, helping Hermione off the couch too.

"I will see you in the morning I guess. Then off to three straight hours of testing, oh joy." He said putting on a falsely cheerful voice, while grimacing.

Hermione laughed and standing on tiptoe kissed him playfully on the lips, "You will thank me later when you get good scores on all of your tests, Harry."

He grumbled, "Well I don't like losing my sleep over it, Moine."

"Well guess what at the end of the day, tomorrow, when you are all tired from testing guess what we will be doing?" Harry perked up thinking a nice walk or maybe some time in the room of Requirement with just her would be nice for a change.

"We will be studying for Tuesday's tests!" she said brightly

Harry groaned and stared at her through slitted eyes, just like a cat. "You are evil women, Moine. No you are a demon disguised as my best friend and girlfriend."

"I can feel the love there, Harry. C'mon it is time for lover boy to go to bed."

Still grumbling to himself Harry gave her a quick kiss before heading up the boys' staircase that Ron had disappeared up half an hour ago.