The days passed slowly, their classes becoming more demanding, their personal lives put on hold. Something that neither Harry nor Kit were very willing to do. Hermione, on the other hand, had cheered up considerably, and she and Ron were becoming better friends than they had ever been. Ginny had become increasingly quiet since Harry and Kit's rendezvous, untying the knot with Chris. Instead, she gave her free time to tutoring Jonathon, whom of which seemed to have taken a liking to her. Hermione, who insisted that she would eventually tutor her brother, drowned in all the work that she had missed. As they began wading through the month of May, the group of Gryffindors surrendered themselves to the library, cramming for their June exams.

"I hate potions," Kit announced for the fourth time that Saturday morning, slamming shut yet another book. "Why can't we be like Muggles and just buy it all?"

"Because they all want to spite us," Ron said, running his hands through his unruly hair.

"Who's they?" asked Ginny, turning the page in her Transfiguration book.

"Everybody," Ron sighed, laying his head on the table.

"I need another goddamn book," Kit said, getting up and disappearing into the masses of shelves.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking up at him through tired eyes. He shrugged, bending back over his Charms book.

"Harry, come help me," Kit whispered, peering around the shelf behind their table.

"Now?" he asked exasperatedly, motioning to his studying.

Kit scowled at him. "Just pull down the bloody book, will you?"

"I can," Ron said, half rising out of his chair.

"No," said Harry, pushing back his chair. "I'll go. But you owe me," he added to Kit as he followed him through the stacks.

"I don't need a book," Kit said suddenly, looking behind her as she stopped in her tracks.

"Then what are we –?"

"When was the last time we kissed?" she asked, pinning him to a column of books.

"Last night before bed," Harry said automatically. Kit shook her head.

"I mean really kissed," she breathed, running her hands down his sides.

"Not here," he whispered hoarsely, taking her hand. "Let's make like a banana, and –"

"– Split," she finished. "Without them knowing."

"Follow me," breathed Harry, leading her through rows and rows of books, past other students searching for books, and even past Professor Sinistra in the Astronomy section.

As they left the library Kit squeezed his hand.

"Where now?"

But Harry was already pulling her along the corridor to the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom … and Remus' office.

"Hey," said Harry quietly, knocking on his open door as Remus looked up from the essays he was grading. "Can we borrow your fire?"

"What?"

"Can we take Floo to Grimmauld Place?" Harry asked.

Much to both of their surprise, Remus nodded, pulling out a bag of what could only be Floo Powder.

"If you're not back by dinner I will report you," Remus said quietly, returning to the pile of papers in front of him.

"Where did they go?" Ron asked irritably as Jonathon and Ginny packed up their books to head back to common room before lunch.

"Probably off snogging in the stacks," Ginny replied calmly.

"Why aren't you and the Mudblood off snogging, Weasley?" a snide voice asked from behind them.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," Ron said tetchily as Draco emerged from the aisle behind them.

"Touchy," said Draco, smirking. "I just wanted a word with –"

"I don't have time for this, Malfoy," Hermione said quietly, meeting his cold grey eyes.

"Make time," he ordered, grabbing her wrist. "It's been months. We need to talk about –"

"She doesn't have to talk to you about anything," Ron said, his voice rising.

"This isn't any of your business, Weasley," Draco retorted, his gaze not leaving Hermione's face.

"Come on, Ron," Ginny said quietly. For once Draco did not make any malicious comments as the two Weasleys made their way slowly to the door.

"Now sit," Draco said quietly, although most of the students' attention in the library was now on the two Prefects.

"No, Draco," said Hermione, pulling her arm out of his grasp. "We're not talking about this here. You'll just have to wait."

"No. We're talking about this now, Hermione," Draco said, pulling out his wand as Jonathon did the same.

"Leave her alone," he said shakily, but standing his ground all the same.

"Would you all just get out of it?" Draco shouted. "I want to talk to you now," he said to Hermione again.

"NO!"

In one motion, Draco had hit Jonathon square in the jaw. Jonathon swung back, punching Draco in the stomach.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Hermione, who now had tears running down her face. "Draco, we'll talk later. I promise."

And he (and the rest of the library) looked on in shock as Hermione pulled her brother through the doors of the library.

"Where were you two?" Ron asked as Kit and Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table at dinner.

"Studying, why?" asked Kit, looking down the table. "Where's Hermione and Jonathon?"

Ron scowled. "Malfoy turned up in the library right before lunch wanting to talk to Hermione. He and Jonathon exchanged blows, and then Hermione told Draco that they would 'talk later' and she took Jonathon to hospital wing, leaving him there."

"She left him there?" Harry asked.

"But what was most odd," continued Ron, ignoring Harry, "was that she seemed to know what Malfoy wanted to talk to her about. She called him Draco, and he called her Hermione."

"That is odd," agreed Kit, shovelling heaps of shepherd's pie onto her plate.

Ron nodded, losing track of conversation as he watched her eat the enormous amount of food.

"Wha?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing," said Ron quickly, trying and failing to look away. "It's just – was your 'studying' that hard?"

Kit shrugged, blushing, as she looked down at her plate.

"Hey guys," Seamus said, sliding into a seat next to them. "Is it true about Malfoy and Hermione?"

"What about them?" Harry asked.

"That they're together! Apparently she's pre–"

"Not true," Kit said immediately. "Put it to rest, Finnigan. It'll never happen."

"Really?" he asked, somewhat down heartened at the news.

"Yep."

"Okay," he sighed, getting up. "See you later."

"Crazy rumours," Harry muttered as Seamus left the Great Hall.

"There'll be more," said Ron offhandedly. "Just wait for it."

As the three of them entered the common room, they could not help but notice Hermione and Jonathon sitting on the couch nearest to the fire. However, none of them dared approach them as they heard Jonathon speak.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, not looking at his older sister.

"I couldn't," she said, faltering under the look he shot her. "I mean, I didn't know how."

"You could've just said it outright."

"It's not that easy."

"It never is, is it?"

Hermione sighed. "No. Not anymore."

"Can I hear the whole story?"

"Yeah," she said, getting up and noticing the other three behind the couch. "Can I borrow your dormitory?" she asked the boys.

"Sure, no problem," said Ron. "Just kick whoever's in there out."

"Thanks," she said, leading Jonathon up the boys' staircase.

"That looks like it's going to be fun," Kit murmured as she sat next to Harry.

"It's got to get fun eventually, right?" Ron asked, pulling his bag towards him.

"Oh yeah," Harry said, pulling Kit onto his lap as she opened her Charms book.