A/N - Okay, new chappie finally! Sorry I'm taking long; it'll be this way for some time. First of all, this chapter is dedicated by me and Veela of the North/Elfinmaiden to Ilenya the fair, because she has gone off to boarding school in a far place, giving us hardly any notice. So mean, no? Anyway, Ilenya, we miss you a lot and want you to keep in touch, so send us e-mails and write letters if you can. And don't think that just because you've gone off you can stop reviewing; you have to review each and every chapter!!!

All right, now, this chapter also has a dumb title for the usual reason (Ilenya, I thought the title for the previous one was dumb because there could've been so many better ones, but thank you), you should just assume it. Sorry, Veela, but I do expect you to review each chapter. I don't care if you don't have the time! Find it! You are my official critic. Though I have now got regular reviewers; thanks, guys, I hope this chapter is up to your expectations. Anyway, that's all for now, folks. You should be happy. I'm gonna stop blabbing and let you read the chapter. Seriously. I am. You should be so happ...d'oh! Here it is!!

Chapter 13 – Away from Home

Hermione woke up the next morning to sounds of her father shouting on the phone. Apparently his secretary hadn't gotten the plane tickets delivered yet and, being the one whom Hermione had inherited her organising skills from, he was getting very frustrated and worked up. Hermione had to go to him, tell him it was no big deal and that they would get their tickets in time, and only then would he calm down and stop shouting at the poor secretary. Luckily, both Hermione and the secretary knew that Mr Granger would calm down and be profusely sorry later.

Hermione couldn't be expected to go back to sleep after that, so she went downstairs, had breakfast and was reading the newspaper when the phone rang. It was Kevin.

"Hey, Hermione," he said.

"Hi," she replied.

"What's up? I couldn't speak to you the whole day yesterday."

"Yeah, I was out," she replied, biting her lip, because Miss Watson had told her he had called and she had forgotten to call him back.

"No problem. I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner today."

"Sorry, Kevin, I'm going to be out this weekend. My parents have to go for a Conference to California and I'm staying with Harry," she said, biting her lip again, this time because she hadn't told him this important plan anytime during the week.

There was silence. "Staying at Harry's house?"

"Yeah."

"You mean, at that new apartment of his? Alone?"

"Yes, Kevin."

"Hermione...that's not good. I mean, he's a teenage boy and there's no telling...how could you be so careless?"

"Kevin! Harry's my friend! He knows it and I know it. I thought you would know it, too, considering the amount of times I've told you!" she exclaimed, annoyed.

"Yeah, Hermione, I know you only think of him as a friend, but it's not safe these days..." he began.

"I'm quite well able to take care of myself! I think I pretty much proved that when I helped defeat the most terrible wizard of all time!" she said.

"Yes, but you're quite naïve, Hermione, and sometimes I wonder whether your friends look at you in the same light that you look at them."

"Naïve! My friends! Oh my God, Kevin, I thought you of all people understood! Our friendship is special and we've been through everything together. We would trust each other with our lives and I expect you to know and accept that!" expostulated Hermione. She was not so annoyed at the fact that he was telling her to be careful, she was annoyed because he was indicating that she was weak and naïve and that her friends were not to be trusted. She, Hermione Granger! With her parents it was one thing, but no one else had the right to talk to her like that.

"Now, Hermione, don't get upset. You're an innocent girl and I don't want to take advantage of that," said Kevin.

"Harry would never do such a thing. And if it's too much for you to live with, then you can find someone else," she said, her voice shaking with anger and sadness.

"Hermione..." he said, clearly shocked.

"No, don't start. You obviously don't understand me at all. I have to go now. I'll call you when I get time," she said and put the phone down.

Kevin called, again and again, but she didn't pick up the phone. She didn't feel like talking to him. She didn't even know why she had gotten so angry, but she guessed it was because of how close she had gotten to Harry and Ron. She couldn't stand it if anyone said anything about them and to say that Harry would take advantage of her 'innocence' was too much. Kevin should have understood by then how important Harry and Ron were to her and how close the three of them were.

She went up to her room and drowned her sorrows in writing. She supposed that if she wanted to break up with him, this was a good opportunity and a good reason. But even if she did break up with him, what would happen? Draco was engaged and she doubted she could do anything to change that. Still, it would probably be wrong for her to continue going out with him. She dropped her quill, frustrated. Why couldn't she make up her mind? Sometimes she felt it would be unfair to break up with him, sometimes she felt it was very unfair to keep going out with him. Sometimes she felt she was getting over Draco, sometimes she felt she was in love with him. What was happening to her? Had Laetitia been right? Would she only be happy with Draco? Or could she be happy with someone else? Or was she just doomed to be single all her life? Had her intelligence finally turned to her disadvantage and made her unable to maintain relationships? She sighed. She would go to Harry and pour out all her troubles to him and Laetitia. Maybe she could just give up her present life and live in seclusion somewhere with a lot of books, parchment and quills. Maybe that was all she was suited to.

Hermione packed in some last minute things and sat down to read a book. The day past uneventfully until two o'clock, which was when she left for the airport with her parents. After seeing them off, the taxi dropped her till the entrance to Diagon Alley. She found Harry waiting for her there and he helped her carry her stuff to his apartment. By the time she was settled, it was four o'clock. Harry asked her if she wanted to go to Plusha's and she figured she could tell him about Kevin there.

They had just sat down and ordered their coffees when a tall figure entered. He saw Hermione and there was no avoiding the greeting that followed. She said, "Ummm...I got the invitation to the engagement. Congratulations. You never told me..."

"It was only formally decided a few days ago. I didn't get a chance to tell you."

Hermione didn't believe him, but she said nothing. "I trust you both are coming?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Harry, in what Hermione thought was an unnecessarily hostile tone.

"Good. And Weasley?"

"You invited him, too?" blurted Harry.

Draco looked mildly surprised. "If I can invite you, Potter, I can invite anyone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" growled Harry, forgetting his promise to Hermione.

"Nothing, it just means that I thought you were the least likely invitee to any party at my house," replied Draco.

"Why did you call me then?"

"Because I..." began Draco, but he stopped. Apparently he didn't think it would be wise for him to say whatever he had been about to say. "I don't have anything against you. You're no enemy of mine."

Harry looked disbelieving, but said nothing. "Anyway, excuse me, I have to meet someone."

Hermione was dying to know whom, but, obviously, she didn't ask. "Bye then."

"I'll see you two tomorrow."

He left the Café and Hermione wondered why he had come to begin with. Harry said, "What a jerk. I bet he only came in because he saw you."

"Harry! Of course not! He's engaged."

"I don't know, Hermione. Sometimes I think he might be in love with you, too."

"I don't know. If that's the case, why is he engaged to someone else?"

"There could be many reasons; family ties, commitments, ulterior motives..."

"Harry!"

"Okay, okay, but there could still be many reasons."

"Well, that doesn't help me, does it?"

"Hmmm...I suppose not. Anyway, so tell me. You wanted to talk to me?"

Hermione told him about her fight with Kevin.

"Oh...you know, Herms, maybe he is just genuinely worried about you."

"He might be, but that's not the way to express his concern! And, Harry, sometimes people just have to accept things; you and Ron are my best friends and what we do is what we do. It's a 'take-it-or-leave-it' situation. You two are much more important to me than he is."

"And also you need a reason to break up with him?"

Hermione blushed. "Well...I...I don't know. I sometimes think I should."

"I think so, too."

"What? Really? But, poor guy, he does like me and it would be unfair. As it is he seemed so crushed on the phone."

"Yeah, but it's better for him to be sad for a few days than to be heartbroken for months. Because if you continue going out with him and he finds out that you like Draco, it would be almost as bad as cheating on him. That would be really unfair."

"You think so? I suppose you're right. Maybe I should break up with him. I know I should, but, call me crazy, I do like him. I genuinely do. He's so handsome and so sweet...I'm not immune to it all just because I'm (ahem) in love with Draco."

"No one expects you to be. Of course you like him; he sounds like a really nice guy, but liking someone is a very small thing compared to being in love with someone, and love is much stronger and much more important and fulfilling."

"Hmmm...but it's not like if I break up with Kevin I can be with Draco. It still won't change the fact that he's engaged."

"True, but it'll give you more peace of mind. And it'll save Kevin some heartbreak."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose you're right. I know I have to break up with him. I just have to muster up the courage."

"You will, don't worry," Harry reassured her. "You're one of the strongest people I know."

"Really, Harry? I don't think I'm strong at all. I may be smart, but that's all from the books. It seems like I'm completely weak in all matters of the heart," she replied.

"Of course not. You have it in you to love unconditionally and completely. You don't know what a great thing that is. That alone gives you strength," he said.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Harry."

They talked about other subjects for the next hour and then left. It was six o'clock by the time they left and they went back to Harry's place. Hermione sat to write a letter to S.P.A.L.B., the Society for the Protection of All Living Beings, which she was hoping would give S.P.A.W. some support. S.P.A.L.B. was quite a big organisation and receiving support from it would really boost S.P.A.W.'s status as a formal organisation. She finished the letter and relaxed for a while. Harry was working some potions he had to learn for his Auror training and Hermione was to test him once he was done. He had surprised everyone, including himself, by getting an 'Acceptable' in his O.W.L.s and an 'Outstanding' in his N.E.W.T.S. in Potions and it was the only requirement for becoming an Auror that he had feared he wouldn't have. He still didn't like it, though he said studying it without Snape was much better, but he could bear with it, since he was very serious about becoming an Auror. Hermione tested him and found the results satisfactory, so they sat down to dinner. Harry wasn't a good cook, so Laetitia had sent over some Shepherd's Pie and boiled vegetables for them, along with a fudge cake for dessert. The entire meal was delicious and Harry was very pleased. They talked for a while after dinner and Harry told Hermione that the Order members who were investigating the case in Scotland had reached there and were to start their research the next day. They talked about that and Voldemort for a while before going to bed.

Hermione lay awake, thinking over the day's events for a while. She realised she had to break up with Kevin, to be fair to both of them. She wondered if Harry had been right about Draco liking her and a small hope formed irresistibly in her head. Then she thought about the case in Scotland and wondered if they would have to fight again. She lay thinking about all this until sleep overtook her.