WARNING: There is some very strong language in this chapter.

Disclaimer: It doesn't belong to me. Just the plot. The rest is J.K. Rowling's business.

"It's a dance!" Ginny squealed, tugging on Dean's arm as her eyes raced across the wording on the poster. "In three days, we're having a sort of Yule Ball! Oooooooo, Dean we have to go! Please tell me we're going?" Dean rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Fine, we'll go, but if I catch you with another guy before we dance together, I'm gone!" Dean knew his lungs would pop and all his ribs would break the way Ginny was hugging him.

Ron scowled at them from where he sat on the couch doing his Charms essay. Hermione, who was sitting opposite of him, smiled.

"Oh, come on Ron!" she said. "Ginny's old enough to go to a dance!" Ron glanced at her.

"She's my little sister. I don't think she's old enough, or ever will be old enough to go to a dance with anybody."

"Ron, Dean and Ginny have been dating forever! He hasn't done anything wrong to her! It's not like he's screwed her or something!"

"Yet," he muttered darkly as he watched them snog in the corner of the common room. "Or that we know of."

"Ron!" she giggled, throwing one of the couch pillows at him.

Harry paced in his dorm. Would he ask her?

Are you crazy? Asked a voice in his head. You can't ask her to the Yule Ball!

And why's that? Asked a different, annoyed sounding voice.

Because you almost bloody killed her!

I did not!

Oh really?

………

I thought so.

Ok, so I almost killed her. Big deal. You didn't do anything to stop me!

Because I couldn't! You know you're the stronger mind! You should have fought it!

Fight what? Asked a third voice.

Oh no, not you! Spat the first voice.

What are you doing here? Asked the second voice.

I have as much a right to be here as you do! Said the third voice haughtily.

You do, do you? All you've been good for lately is getting us all in a shit load of trouble! You killed that boy!

And? He deserved it! Trying to steal my woman…

Your WOMAN! Screamed both other voices. She was never yours, and thanks to you, she'll never be ours!

I don't need you two! I can take care of us by myself!

No, said the first voice. We don't need you! FUCK OFF!

"Harry?" Harry spun around on his heal to see Hermione standing uncomfortably by the door.

"Hermione?" She shuffled into the room, looking everywhere except him.

"I… I just wanted to talk to you," she muttered, stopping in front of him. She raised her eyes to him. They stared into each others eyes for what seemed like eternity.

"Hermione…" he murmured, closing the distance between their lips. She held a finger up to stop him, hurt in her eyes.

"I can't do that Harry," she whispered. "You hurt me Harry. I still live this pain. I will always live with this pain. But you, you will never know."

"Hermione," he said. He would not hold out anymore. He would tell her the truth. "I love you." Her eyes flashed with even more pain then before.

"How can I believe you when you tell me you love me, Harry?" she pleaded. "I can't believe you…It hurt so badly Harry…I thought I was going to die…I almost did." Anger flamed in her eyes. She turned and walked to the door. He grabbed her arm and pulled her around. His lips snatched hers in a desperate kiss. She struggled to get away. This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't the Harry she wanted. He pulled away, his green eyes pleading with her.

"Please, Hermione," he whispered. "Please, let me love you. Damn it woman, let me prove it to you!" Her eyes narrowed.

"How?"

Padma rolled her eyes, walking away from the eighth boy to ask her to the Yule Ball. She did not plan to go, she told them. No, she would not be attending, she said. Sighing, she walked along the corridors to the Room of Requirement.

He's still affecting me, she thought to herself as she curled up on the couch. The stupid son of a bitch is still affecting me! How was it possible? She got up and started to pace. The door opened and she turned around to see Ron and Lavender kissing as they backed into the room.

Her heart stopped. It had to have stopped. She was not breathing. Her eyes widened as tears began to fall from them.

"How could you?" she said softly, disbelief mixed with horror fixed into her trembling voice. Ron and Lavender broke apart. Lavender gave a small squeak and fled the room. Ron stood, a look of horror and uncaring in his eyes.

"Padma," he said in a bored tone. Padma let out a sob, the tears coming down harder.

"How can you, Ron?" she cried. "How can you just move on like that? Just move to another person like it's nothing?" Then she stopped and gave a bitter smile. "Of course. I forgot. You seem to have emotions that attach themselves to one person. It's easy for you to move on. You've never been attached to someone have you Ron? You've never loved someone. You never loved me. That's why it's so easy, isn't it? Because you don't have to mend your heart the way I'm still mending mine. Your heart isn't broken, is it, Ron?" Tears flooded down her cheeks to splash down the front of her robes. He watched her, no emotion in his eyes.

"No, Padma," he said, stepping towards her. "I've just learned that you can't get too attached to something if you know you don't love it. Maybe I never did love you Padma…I can't really believe that I did after this…" She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. A disgusted look came over his face.

"No, I don't think I ever loved you, Padma. I can't believe I wasted my summer on a fucking bitch. I don't believe I even thought of trying to win you back. I don't go after hors." He walked out the door, pretending to ignore her heartbroken sobs. But he could not ignore the breaking of his own heart. Shutting the door, he closed his eyes, holding back the tears.

I'm sorry, Padma, he thought. But I don't want you to continue to cry over someone who isn't worthy of your love.

Harry led Hermione down the halls, glancing into the classrooms.

"Harry, what are you looking for?" she cried in an exasperated voice. He stopped and faced her.

"Stay here, Hermione," he said. "There's something I need to do." With that, he disappeared into one of the classrooms, closing the door behind him. She sat on the floor, leaning her back against the wall opposite of the door. A minute passed by. Two minutes. Five minutes. She glanced at her watch. Ten minutes had passed by. What the hell was taking him so long? She got up and started to pace. 15 minutes. 25 minutes. She walked to the door and opened it.

"Harry?" she asked, pushing the door open the whole way. She gasped, horror filling her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Harry broke the kiss with Cho, his eyes widening in realization. His gaze shifted from Cho to Hermione to Cho to Hermione again.

"Hermione-" he started, pushing Cho off of him.

"Harry…" She ran. She couldn't see where she was going as tears blurred her vision. She didn't care where she was going.

How could she have ever though he loved her?
Catherine opened the door to the house as the twins rushing past her in their game of hide and seek. Smiling, she lifted the grocery bags and made her way to the kitchen. Setting the bags on the counter, she looked around.

"Godric?" she called. Nothing. Frowning, she left the kitchen and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Opening the door, she froze.

"Godric!" she cried, horror echoing in her voice. He looked up from the bed, as did the girl. She pulled up the blankets to cover herself. Godric looked shocked as well as horrified.

"Catherine!" he shouted as she fled down the stairs and into the garden. A hand grabbed hers and whirled her around. She looked through tear-blurred eyes at the man she thought had loved her.

"Catherine, let me explain!"

"EXPLAIN WHAT!" she screamed. "You were sleeping with another WOMAN, GODRIC! I… I… HOW COULD YOU!"

"Catherine," he pleaded, trying to keep his hold on her.

"YOU WERE SLEEPING WITH ANOTHER WOMAN! OH MY GOD!" Reality seemed to strike her across the face just then. She began to cry as she fought to escape his grip.

"You don't understand!"

"What don't I understand, Godric?" she cried. "WHAT DON'T I UNDERSTAND!"

Harry stared out at the lake.

"You really did that?" he whispered. Gryffindor nodded, sitting down next to Harry.

"Why?"

"You would do anything if your daughter was about to die," Godric muttered. Harry stared at him.

"Slytherin provided no other choices. However, Harry, you were provided with more than one choice. You just decided to do what you thought was easy at the time, instead of doing what was right. You thought that you could get a few kisses in and then break up with her instead of doing the right thing and just break up with her right there and then. You got caught and now you have to live with the consequences."

"Did Catherine hate you after that?"

"She never trusted me again."

A/n: I think this is a good place to leave off. I know, the chapter was sooooooo much shorter than the last one, but… what ya gonna do? Thanks to:

DestroyerDRT: Don't worry about Harry. He's just workin' both sides of psycho's ville at the moment but he'll straighten out in the end.

LMDGlUVR4EVA: A lot of my reviewers worry about my characters to much! She will be fine, don't worry! Thanks sooooooo very much!

PreppyTigger23: Now, Now, respect your elders! Hehehehehehe!

Anakfenty: all good stories must hit a sad point in time!

Bookworm: Take a deep breath! No one's gonna die of a heart attack! I am continuing, aren't I?

Silver Sky17: That is a detail that, if you are willing to over look, so am I!

I am glad that so many decided to review this time! I, however, am slightly disappointed that SoMe WEirDo and Kkroonie decided not to review… I would really like to know where they've gotten to. If your sick, then you are excused. If you are spending time writing, then you are excused. If you are reading somebody else's story instead of mine, then it's time for a serious but whipping…sorry…had to much caffeine…sort of… Well, PLEASE REVIEW! And please make sure to check out my other stories!