This is a really long chapter guys, once I got going I just couldn't stop! Please read and review. Oh, and Atlanta Enchanted, the Harry description is all for you. Orange Llama, sorry no Draco description in this chapter, but I'll try for the next one.

Enjoy!

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Two hours later Hermione had completely forgotten about her run-in with Draco and she had almost finished her shopping. The last thing on her list (and perhaps the most important), was a birthday gift for Harry. Over the summer, Hermione had thought about Harry almost every day, and after Ron and Lavender had gone public with their relationship at the Halloween Ball, Harry and Hermione had grown a lot closer. She had often studied late with him in the common room, falling asleep on the couch, only to wake finding herself laying on his chest, his hand casually draped around her middle. By the end of the year, many would have called the two inseparable.

Hermione suppressed a giggle of joy as she thought about this year. This year, things would be different, this year, things would be ten times better than they had been last year. She had known it as soon as she had received Harry's owl, the scribbled note that she had so eagerly pulled off Hedwig's leg had been short and mysterious, but she was, after all, the smartest witch at Hogwarts, and had known what it meant before she had even finished reading it.

Mione,

I have AMAZING news! So excited to tell you! Meet me and Ron on Saturday, 2:00 pm, the Leaky Cauldron, DON'T BE LATE!!

-Harry

She suppressed another giggle as she thought about her deductive reasoning. The 'amazing' news that Harry had to tell her, was of course, that he would be head boy this year, and the reason that he was so excited to tell her was because everyone (well, everyone who read Hogwarts: A History) knows that the head boy and girl share a dormitory. Hermione could feel it, this was the year that Harry would finally make his move, it was inevitable, she reasoned, they were supposed to be together, and now they were sharing a dorm - if fate (or Dumbledore for that matter) wasn't giving them a hint, then she didn't know a curse from a spell.

It was for all these reasons that this year's birthday gift for Harry had to be special. Hermione knew it couldn't be another book, or homework planner, or even a Quidditch related gift, and so she had spent hours thinking of the perfect present – the perfect way to say 'I really like you' back to him. Then she had remembered Fred and George's store.

Quickly apparating, she entered the twin's store in a bit of a rush, it was already 1:45.

"Hermi...wow," Fred's voice trailed off as he looked her up and down. "You've definitely...umm...changed this summer." Hermione blushed dark red. She tried to imagine what she must look like at the moment, her cheeks were flushed and her skirt was twisted from her quick apparation, but she couldn't deny that her face had matured more over the summer and so had her body.

"Uh, thanks I guess. Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I'm really in a rush and I kind of need..."

"The book? Yeah, we were expecting you earlier, it's right here" George said, reaching under the counter for a purple bound book, "It's going to be 7 galleons, but you know, it's money well spent. There isn't a spell in Hogwarts that it can't get around. From sneaking into dorms, to slipping into the kitchens – it'll even tell you how to get into Dumbledore's office" he added.

Hermione nodded as she pulled out some galleons from her bag,

"I wouldn't doubt it, I mean, you guys did write it" she said, handing the money over to Fred. She blushed slightly as he gave the book to her winking, as if he knew what she was going to do with it. She left the store with a quick goodbye to the twins, still trying to convince herself that this was the best gift she could possibly get Harry, finally setting on the argument that without it, sharing a dorm would be useless because they wouldn't even be able to get around the spells to enter each other's rooms.

Hermione apparated into the Leaky Cauldron at exactly two o'clock. She immediately spotted Ron's flaming red hair, flanked by another red head (probably Ginny she decided) and a mess of black hair. She smiled as she thought of Harry's hair, so hard to control and always messy, and then blushed at her sudden urge to comb her fingers through it. Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, she almost ran over to the booth they were sitting at.

"Harry! Ron!" she called, "I missed you guys so much this summer!"

Ron stood first, pulling Hermione into a big bear hug. Although it seemed impossible, he had grown taller over the summer, and his freckles had faded slightly, making him look slightly older and a lot more handsome.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, "You're looking more and more like Bill as the years go by!" Ron's ears turned pink at this compliment and he muttered something about Hermione growing over the summer also. Harry stood up next, pulling Hermione into a tight hug (much to her delight), and giving her a small kiss on the cheek. She let herself linger, hanging onto his strong shoulders and breathing in his soapy, clean smell. He had grown taller too this summer, and his once awkward of skinniness had disappeared. He wasn't muscular, but he was lanky, in a sexy sort of way. His bright emerald eyes were almost hidden by his jet black hair, but this new hairstyle seemed only to compliment his features.

"Hermione," he breathed, "I'm so happy you're here!"

Hermione laughed, trying to ignore the butterflies rising in her stomach, and trying not to stare into Harry's deep dark green eyes. It was only then that she really noticed Ginny. Even with her red hair pulled back into a loose messy pony tail and her lack of make up, Ginny looked amazing. She was beautiful.

"Ginny! I can't believe how much you've changed, you look great," Hermione said. As Ginny and Hermione carried on polite conversation, all she could think about was when Harry would tell her. Finally, as Ron excused himself to go to the men's room, Harry interrupted the conversation.

"Hermione, I have to tell you the best news ever!" He rambled, "I wanted to wait till Ron left because he's still not so happy about the whole thing..." Hermione suppressed a smile, of course Ron wouldn't be happy about Harry getting head boy, and he would be even more upset about his two best friends getting together. She pushed back these thoughts as she listened to Harry ramble on and on, any minute now he would say it, any minute now he would tell her about his position and then declare his love for her. She pulled out his birthday present and put it on the table. Flying hippogriffs, he was still rambling, he was clearly nervous. Hermione waited, and then, and then she knew it was coming, here it was, the moment she had been waiting for all summer,

"...and then SHE SAID YES!" Harry finished, clearly excited. Hermione froze. What? What had he said? She was confused, she hadn't said yes to anything yet, and why would he refer to her as 'she'?

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked, his face looking seriously concerned, "Did you hear what I said? I asked Ginny out and she said yes, we're together now, isn't that amazing?"

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ooh is that a cliffie? I'm sorry if it is... but anyway REVIEW!!