A/N: After a week of blessed vacation, I have returned to my college and this fic. He he he. The story is fun, college is not. (It sux). Anyway, here is chapter 13. Thank you to Papercut04 for the review!!

Lock and Key

Chapter 13

Ron noticed things between Harry and Hermione had gone from irritation to flat out discomfort. Harry had come back to their room one night after another detention with Snape (really his lesson with Hagrid) looking as though his puppy had died, or rather every puppy in Britain had snuffed it, and had not been the same since. Hermione now regarded Harry with fear as opposed to her former vexation, and couldn't look at him for the love of Godric Gryffindor. And the worst part was neither one of them would talk about "the change". Ron expected Hermione to be aloof about what had happened but had not expected her to almost give way to crying. Her reaction rattled him and he let her be. As for Harry, he wouldn't tell Ron anything, which the redhead found strange and unsettling. Harry told him everything! Ron gave up on the issue, but not before talking to a few people about it. He was disturbed that their strong friendship had been partially shattered.

Hermione was in the worst emotional state she had ever been in. Her feelings were shot and absolutely jumbled. The sound of Harry's name or his own voice brought her grief, and the sight of him terrified her. (She ended up missing the third DA meeting, which earned Ron & Harry concerned questions of her whereabouts. Harry answered them blandly). He wanted to cause her pain, didn't he? He had kissed her just to play with her mind. Yes, he had claimed to actually have feelings for her but Hermione swore to herself that couldn't be true. Harry was in no position to care for her—she wasn't good enough for him! And what was more, she was his best friend, his average best friend. It was cruel for him to hint that such a thing was possible.

Besides, hadn't he courted around Parvati up to this point, playing childish games? Harry had snogged her and then admitted to not liking her in that way. How did Hermione know he wasn't doing the same thing again? She didn't. But… he had looked heartbroken when speaking to her in the Head Room, and sounded so sincere. Then there was his dislike for David, which had stemmed from conceivably nowhere. "Because it's painful for me to see you with David." And that kiss… oh sweet heaven, that kiss. Hermione would sometimes find herself in a trance, remembering the essence of him. The feel of his incredible lips on hers had made her shiver, igniting every part of her body with lust. Being that close to Harry took away whatever sense of self she had; she had lost herself in his intoxicating touch. Hermione wanted to feel that way, and to return the affection, again so much it was pitiful, but she kept herself in line. All she had to do was remind herself it was a mistake, a unfair mistake.

Harry, meanwhile, was a hollow shell. He felt utterly empty. She had rejected him, and even worse, ran from him. He went through his training sessions without much talk but performed well, so his instructors couldn't very well question him. Where had he gone wrong? Well, obviously with the kiss—it had seemingly been too bold—but he could have sworn she felt… something for him! (Her response, however, conveyed that she possibly hated him). It didn't make sense to Harry; Hermione had made it blatantly clear that she detested Harry & Parvati together, but when he had expressed his feelings for her, she had freaked out even worse. What did she want? He knew what he wanted: her. Sadly there was no way around it, nor was there a substitution. Harry felt like he had received a dementor's kiss since Hermione had turned her back on him, which deeply shook him. He didn't want to lose her in any sense, but felt he had accomplished just that. He deliberated if the kiss had been worth it.

Half of Harry had no regret over kissing Hermione whatsoever. The other half only felt regret because she avoided him now because of it, though the first half wisely pointed out she had been avoiding him before he had made his move. Side one argued viciously that he had meant every bit of what he had done and had enjoyed it as well, which was true. Kissing her had been the single best experience in his life, and it had felt so right. Her lips were painstakingly soft and cruelly inviting. Harry felt the moment had been pure bliss but much too short. He wanted to run his hands through her hair again, caress her—show her how much she meant to him. Unfortunately, Harry felt he might not get that chance, ever.

Hermione laid curled up in a ball, under the covers, on her bed, the drapes partially open so that moonlight could enter. She realized with sudden pain that she wanted Harry to the point where it was crushing her. As a renegade tear escaped down her face, she also knew that her fear was the ultimate dominating force in her head. Why couldn't things be simple?
"The Hogsmeade trip is really soon, the second weekend of December—just before the holiday which is good because that's when I can buy everyone's gifts." Ron said.

"Yeah." Harry quietly replied. He stared out of a window with his arms on the rests, watching the light snowfall. The two sat in the common room.

"I've decided to take your advice—I'm going to ask Rebecca!"

"Hmm." Ron looked warily at the Boy Who Lived.

"So… so you're going to Grimmauld Place for Christmas? Mum said we'll be there as well, though I don't know if that includes Percy. Hell, I don't even know if Dad wants him there!" he reported. Harry nodded.

"I, uh, have no idea what Hermione's plans are." Harry glanced exasperatedly at Ron before gazing out of the window once more.

"Harry," sighed Ron, caving in, "You know, you can tell me what happened with Hermione, mate. It may help!"

"It won't," he grumbled, too low for Ron to hear.

"I just wish things would go back to the way things were with you and Hermione. You two are miserable and have been for a good month!"

"I'm not." Harry lied, again, too quiet for Ron's ears. Ron sadly shook his head.

"Harry, seriously—you can tell me what's wrong," he assured.

"I know, Ron." Harry told him, abandoning the window's scenery. Ron leaned back in his chair, somewhat comforted. But that doesn't mean I'm going to, Harry thought. If Ron found out Harry had kissed Hermione, whatever little stability he had left in his life would disappear. He had already driven one of the closest people to him away; Harry did not need to do it to the other.

"We have another project!," Professor Flitwick announced in Charms. A few groans emitted, "I have taken the liberty of selecting your partners for you, so there is no need to do so."

Harry sat next to Dean Thomas, completely absorbed in reflecting on how screwed up his last year at Hogwarts was turning out to be. He didn't hear the names being called out, who was working with whom, or the basic guidelines, and only came to when the stout teacher declared:

"I am requiring that you make one visit to the library before the end of this week. The projects are due on the last day of class before winter interterm." Harry looked about clueless before turning to Dean.

"What? Who's your partner? Who's mine? Or wait—do we pick our own?"

"Nah. I got Parvati. You—" Dean pointed to their left, three tables up. Hermione sat with Padma and looked devastated.

"It's not—" Harry hurriedly began.

"Hermione," said Dean. Of course it was Hermione. That was just the way things worked, right? Against him?

Harry shot out of his seat and up to Flitwick's desk.

"Professor—"

"Ah, Harry!," he beamed, "Yes, I put you with Ms. Granger because you did such a spectacular job the last time! I expect another excellent show, yes?" Harry nodded lamely and went back to his table, not daring to look at Hermione. Well, he was pretty much stuck. He wondered if she'd be willing to receive a failing grade if it meant not coming in contact with him. Perhaps they could turn in two separate assignments, just refuse to work with one another…. The bell rang and the students hurried to leave.

"Coming to lunch Harry?" Dean asked.

"No. I've got… stuff. Tell Ron, will you? And I'll talk to you later about the project—sorta wasn't listening." he answered.

"Sure. See you." Dean walked out of the room with the rest of his classmates. Harry sighed and picked up his bag. It wasn't that he hated Hermione, it was that she hated him, so what was the point of trying to confront her, for any reason? He had not spoken to her since that night in the Head Room (which had been some time ago) and planned not to. Hermione would have to be the one to make the first move; Harry had already done that.

He left the classroom and prepared to turn left. (Dumbledore wanted to see him for some reason or another).

"Um," someone prompted. Harry turned to face Hermione. His heart stopped.

"Oh," he said.

"We should go to the library before everyone else does and checks out all of the good books. Are you, uh, free tomorrow?" He picked his brain. He hadn't planned practice, but did have a lesson with Kingsley.

"Yeah, after 7:30." Hermione then walked resolutely off in the opposite direction. Harry resumed his own path, shaking his head.

Harry's session with Kingsley Shacklebolt the following day did not go well. He came off having received the worst end and found himself on his back more often than not. He also sustained a couple of bruises. Kingsley was not pleased. He knew Harry fought better than that and demanded him to display his usual fervor. Harry was not content either. He was furious with himself for performing like a first year but simply could not seem to improve. (Kingsley's yelling did not help). He knew the fact that he was dwelling on Hermione was probably the source of his poor concentration, but did not voice this to his teacher. Harry left sore, angry, and to Kingsley's commands that he'd better be ready for his next lesson with Emmeline Vance, or else.

Hermione walked cautiously into the library, biting her lip. She was not ready for this—having to face Harry again. Sure, they would only discuss their Charms assignment, but it was the fact that she'd be alone with him. That meant forced conversation, sneaking glances at his painfully attractive face, and reliving emotions.

"You can do this," she muttered, "You have to." Hermione moved through the library (after nodding to Madam Pince) and shortly came across Ron.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, grateful for time to stall.

"Research for this stupid Care of Magical Creatures essay," he retorted, lifting up two books. She was suddenly struck by how tall he was, "What is Hagrid on?! Neville's my unofficial partner. What about you?"

"Uh, Charms project! I'm meeting Padma here." Hermione said. He nodded then studied her. Should he warn her Harry was also here and appeared to be in a foul mood?
"What?" she nervously chuckled. Why was Ron staring at her like that? God, what if Harry told him?! That's ludicrous, she told herself, for some reason, you know Harry wouldn't tell him—Ron had no idea.

Hermione suddenly hugged him, feeling like a bad friend. Ron was merely worried about his best friends and they were not easing his mind by putting up walls. Even so, this matter was between Hermione and Harry.

"See you later," she remarked, moving on.

"Er… yeah," he mumbled. Ron walked out of the library, blushing.

Hermione found Harry in the very back of the room, with some volumes already open and scanned through. He didn't look up as she shakily set her bag on the table and sat down. He was rapidly riffling through a book; Hermione instantly knew he was upset.

"You've… already found some information?" she inquired.

"A bit." Harry stated.

"Right." She got up to obtain additional sources. Standing behind bookshelves a few good feet away, Hermione let out a small sigh, watching him through the gaps. His eyes hadn't left the pages once. Maybe this would be easier than anticipated. Harry was obviously not dying to talk to her.

Fifteen minutes later, he hadn't said anything else or even looked at Hermione. She stopped writing and tentatively turned to him.

"Uh, any problems?" she pondered.

"No."

"Oh…. Just wondering." Ten minutes passed and Harry got up to fetch a couple more books. Almost half an hour had slipped by and he had not started, or attempted, conversation. It was as though he had forgotten about the kiss fiasco. Hermione noted she could live with that.

Another 20 minutes of silent Harry came and went. Now, however, Hermione began wondering how Harry felt about all that had occurred. Had he truly been sincere? If so, then why was he acting as though he wasn't even sitting next to her? Hermione bitterly wished that he would at least look at her once—that was all she asked. He didn't have to say a word, just a gaze.

After an hour of being in the library and virtually ignored by Harry, Hermione felt she was losing her mind. She thought silence was what she had craved, but she had apparently been wrong. What he was doing was nothing short of heartless. She found herself staring at him often, and once or twice at his lips. Didn't he know the rules of the game? Why was he callously ignoring her?! Hermione contemplated over whether to say something about their interlude, anything to get Harry to speak! She prepared to talk when he opened his mouth. She watched keenly as Harry cleared his throat. Her shoulders fell. That was it. His indifference was driving her mad!

"Do you even care?" Hermione asked out of the blue. After 60 treacherous minutes of isolation, Harry finally met her eyes.

"What?" he wondered. She fretfully twirled her quill, fear immediately settling in. Hope you can handle what you just started, genius!, she yelled at herself.

"Between… us. That night. Care about that." The last sentence came out hardly above a whisper. He scoffed.

"What kind of question is that? I already told you how I felt before I kissed you, remember?" Harry replied.

"Yes but, I mean your… real feelings," she remarked. He looked at her as if she were the thickest person on Earth.

"Why can't you accept that I meant every single thing I said?" A thousand butterflies erupted in her stomach.

"B-because I find it hard to trust you when you snogged Parvati and later claimed it meant nothing," Hermione retorted, "For some reason, you had the urge to k-kiss me. It was a mistake Harry."

"Kissing Parvati was, but not you. I'd do it again," he flatly pointed out. She felt her heart skip about six beats. He was doing it again, making her hopeful…. Harry threw down his quill and gave a mocking laugh.

"You really confuse me Hermione! You desert me in the Head Room, giving me the impression you want nothing to do with me. So I give you space like you want, but then you ask me how I feel about it, and when I give you an answer, you totally swear it off like I'm lying or something!," he explained, "I know how I feel all right? What? Did you miss the twisted attention? Do you just want to argue?"

"No!" Hermione said, more aggressive than she meant it to sound. That had been harsh, and perhaps had touched on a truth.

"You have no idea what you want, do you? Well, from the way you've been treating me it's safe to assume you don't want anything to do with me, at the very least!," Harry forcefully stood up. She watched in horror, "Rest assured, I can fulfill that wish. If you really don't want to be around me Hermione, if it's so hard, then fine. I… I'll leave you alone all right? I'll ignore the fact that I can't seem to think of anything or anyone other than you and move on." He grabbed his belongings with unstable hands as tears clouded Hermione's vision. If she really was going to be like this for the rest of… whenever, Harry saw no point in trying to associate with her. It would kill him, but the torment she put him through now was killing him. Better not to be around then look at her everyday and be reminded of what he didn't have. Hermione, on the other hand, was panicked. Merlin, was he absolutely finished with her?! Of all things, she did not him out of her life, by any means!

"H-Harry!," she choked, standing up, "No! I'm scared, okay? I'm scared!" He relaxed a bit.

"Of what?" he inquired, looking at her.

"Your feelings for me, mine for you… what might happen between us. I mean, I've liked you since fourth year. I'm sure of how much I… I care about you. But you… this is new. And it seems impossible that you would have feelings for me. Who am I? No one." Hermione spilled, two tears falling. Wow, she had just confessed to her emotions. He finally knew.

"Don't say that." Harry told her, his voice cracked. Lord, Hermione did like him. He felt light headed.

"I don't want us to… to start something, and then have it fall apart. Maybe you'll realize I'm not worth it, and then our friendship would be ruined along with our… relationship, whatever. It's safer to stay this way."

"I can't, not now, not after knowing how you feel. Hermione—you have nothing to be afraid if. I am not going to wake up one day and think you're horrible because that's out of the question. You are singularly the most fascinating and wonderful person I have ever met. That is who you are and that is why I want to be with you. I told you before, I've never been so sure about anything in my life like the way I feel about you." His arm had locked around her waist and she didn't care. In fact, Hermione was feeling completely elated. Worn out, but elated. She wanted to collapse in his arms. She could not believe this was taking place, and would probably never get over her surprise or happiness.

"It's not a mistake?" she asked, smiling. A tear fell down her face. He lifted her chin up with his free hand and wiped it away.

"It's not a mistake." Harry grinned. He then leaned in and kissed her, and Hermione actually kissed him back, something she had been most anxious to do. His other arm went to join the one holding her as she slipped her hands around his neck. Chemistry exploded between them as their kiss deepened and he pulled her closer. Neither one seemed to remember they were in the library, or that anyone else on the planet existed.

A/N: I made Harry and Hermione make up rather soon (a few days—three or four) because I do not know how to drag out their spats for too long. Sorry if some of you thought it was too soon. I also had to do it because I need them to be together before Christmas, and Hogsmeade, comes up in the story (and it does so quite soon) because stuff happens. Dun dun dun! Lol. Also, I do not know if Hogwarts has a bell system, but like I've said before, it's that way in this story! I'll post again on Sunday. Later much.