Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way shape or form, and I am getting nothing out of this except the joy of writing.

Chapter 16

September progressed, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Harry was grateful to return to run-of-the-mill Quidditch practices after the fiasco that was the first one. Wood and Flint begrudgingly reached an agreement, and the Gryffindor team got first crack at the pitch on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Getting up at dawn wasn't the greatest start to his weekend, or his Tuesdays and Thursdays, but Harry enjoyed his morning walks to practice with Hermione. Even though she was bleary-eyed and frizzy-haired, each morning she beamed at him every step of the way and they happily conversed about all matter of things.

One particular Thursday, Hermione was rambling about Mandrakes on their way to the Quidditch pitch when Harry cut her off.

"Hermione?"

"Y-yes?" She asked, surprised at his sudden interjection.

"Are you excited for your birthday on Saturday?" He asked. "I mean, obviously you're excited, but – I mean, is there anything, like…" He trailed off uncertainly, suddenly finding the stone floor fascinating.

"Are you asking me what I want for my birthday?" She asked. "Harry, that's sweet of you, but –"

"Look, last year I got you a lousy voucher for a bookstore, and for my birthday you got me the greatest gift anyone's ever given me." He frowned. "I feel bad, I ought to – "

"Harry, the voucher was perfect, please don't say that it was lousy."

"Hermione, come on, you deserve – "

"Harry – "

"I want to get you something as amazing as what you got me. It's what friends do."

"Harry, really. It's alright. No matter what you give me, I know I'll love it. I think for my birthday I wouldn't mind just spending the day with friends, enjoying their company at Hogwarts and what-not. The gifts aren't that important to me." She relented, raising her eyebrows at her friend. "I don't want you stressing about me, Harry. It's my job to stress about you."

"Yeah, yeah…" Harry muttered, smirking. "Guess I'll be getting you some Quidditch gear."

"Oh, ha-ha." She snorted, throwing an elbow into his arm. "If you do that, I'll make sure you regret it."

"Is that a threat, Granger?"

"No, not at all. It means I'll be taking your spot."

"Oh, ha-ha." It was Harry's turn to snort.

"But Harry, seriously." She stopped walking and grabbed his arm. Harry stopped too, surprised at the sudden contact. "Don't worry. Anything to do with – I mean, anything from you," she corrected, her cheeks suddenly turning pink, "will be perfect. I'm sure of it."

Harry nodded, trying to hide his smile as the gears in his head began turning overtime. The two continued their walk in a pleasant silence, until Harry reluctantly joined his teammates in the locker room while Hermione jogged up to the stands.

During a particularly grueling drill, Harry heard a familiar barrage of CLICKs from one of the top sections of the stands. Fred and George snickered and mumbled something about a Harry Potter Fan Club. For once, Harry didn't groan. For once, he turned to Colin Creevey, and he felt a smile creep across his face.

Saturday Morning

Harry hadn't slept the entire night. He knew he needed to beat Hermione to the common room, but after setting his magical alarm clock to an ungodly hour, he couldn't keep his eyes closed for more than a few seconds. His heart was racing with excitement, and every time he lifted his arm to check his watch his fingers were trembling. An hour before the sun was expected to rise, he gave up and jumped out of bed, reaching into his trunk to grab a book before dashing down the stairs.

He had been downstairs for only a few minutes before he heard gentle footsteps descending from the girls' dormitory. He'd been sitting ramrod straight on one of the scarlet couches that faced the staircases, his leg bouncing up and down with restless energy. He held his book in his lap – unopened since he'd first picked it up two days prior.

A familiar head of bushy brown hair came into view, and Harry felt his heart slow to a stop. Hermione stopped a few steps from the bottom, unable to hide her surprise.

"Harry?"

"H-hi, Her-Hermione." He stammered, awkwardly getting to his feet. "Happy birthday!" He grinned, brandishing the book towards her.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione gasped, placing her hands over her heart. "Harry!" She repeated, leaping to the bottom of the staircase and sprinting across the room like Harry-seeking missile. Harry barely managed to drop the book on the couch behind him before his best friend crashed into him at what felt like the speed of light.

"Hermione!" He gasped out, feeling like his ribs were splintering as she squeezed the life out of him.

"Harry, you didn't have to!" She cried out, pulling away for a moment before wrapping him up again.

"It's your birthday, Hermione. This is what friends do." Harry managed to choke out, weakly patting her on the back. "Friends don't usually deprive each other of oxygen though…"

"Right! Sorry." Hermione finally let go, stepping back and dusting herself off. She beamed at him, and her teeth looked particularly dazzling to Harry. "What's that?" She asked, pointing to the book he'd been holding before she practically attacked him.

Harry grinned and picked it up, extending his arms proudly. Hermione grabbed it and gazed with curiosity at the blank blue cover. She turned her eyes back to Harry.

"Is it a journal?" She asked, but before she could open it Harry pulled her to the couch. She squeaked in surprise and landed next to him on the cushions. Harry looked at her expectantly, and she gingerly opened the book to its first page. "Oh, Harry, the pictures!"

Hermione excitedly flipped through the pages, her smile growing wider with each photograph she saw. It was every photo from the trio's spur-of-the-moment session in the courtyard a few weeks prior. At Harry's request, Colin had developed them and organized them into a photo album. Hermione burst out laughing at the sight of herself rolling her eyes as Harry and Ron stuck their tongues out at her. She lingered on the Charlie's Angels imitation for a moment, then went to turn the page before seeing she'd reached the end. Harry saw his friend's face fall only for a moment, before turning back to him and brightening instantly.

"Thank you, Harry. This is amazing." She whispered. Harry shrugged.

"Then I guess I shouldn't give you the other gift…" He mused, earning a swat on the shoulder.

"What other gift? You better not have – " She stopped as Harry reached in between the cushions of the couch and pulled out another book. "You planned this whole thing, didn't you?" She huffed, trying to subdue her smile.

"I admit nothing." He smiled sheepishly before letting Hermione rip the emerald-colored album out of his hands. She hitched her breath as she opened it and saw herself and Harry staring at each other – the latter looking particularly surprised as Hermione tugged him close to her before turning to the camera. She examined picture after picture, much slower this time. Harry watched as she gently traced the outline of a photo of her placing her head on Harry's shoulder before flipping the page. He smiled to himself as she let out a serene sigh upon seeing her and Harry giggling like idiots.

"Harry, this is incredible." She whispered as she looked through the photographs of her and Harry laughing hysterically. She paused on one where she was laughing so hard she was leaning into her best friend, her back pressing against his stomach as she wiped tears of joy from her face. She inhaled sharply as Harry wrapped his arms around her, and she clutched his forearms as she cackled with unfettered happiness.

Hermione gazed at the last one for a long time. It was one Colin had taken surreptitiously, a moment she didn't even know had been immortalized in a photograph. Harry could tell from her expression that she was glad it was.

The pair had been sitting across from each other in the library, studying for a Charms Exam. Harry had asked if Hermione would look over his notes for errors, and Hermione was too absorbed in her book to even hear him. Harry asked again, and Hermione remained totally oblivious. Smirking mischievously, Harry reached his hand across the table and gingerly placed his fingers under her chin. Hermione had squeaked at the sudden contact, her cheeks doing their best impression of Gryffindor scarlet and her eyes widening in surprise. Harry gently lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze, and once he locked onto those familiar brown eyes he asked again. The bushy-haired witch finally nodded, failing to hide how flustered she was.

He couldn't stop himself from smirking at the memory, and Hermione held a similar expression as she stared at the photo of Harry gingerly cupping her chin. The room wasn't incredibly well-lit, but he could see here cheeks were just as flushed as they were in the photo.

Harry smiled in satisfaction, allowing himself to relax. 'She likes it.' He thought to himself, repeating the thought as he leaned into the couch cushions behind him. 'She likes it. She likes it. She likes it.'

"Happy birthday, Hermione." He finally sighed, a feeling of triumph washing over his body. Hermione looked up from the photos and beamed, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked back to the album and suddenly shook her head. "What's wrong?" He asked, leaning forward and directing his eyes to the book, assuming something she didn't like one of the photos.

"I just…" She sighed. "I can't believe I got you a stupid Snitch…"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Harry groaned. "It's your birthday, Hermione. You should be thinking about yourself and how amazing you are."

"Oh, stop it. I think you have a Quidditch practice to get to, anyway."

"As a matter of fact, I do." He grinned, leaping off the couch excitedly. "Care to accompany me, birthday girl?" He picked up his broom with one hand and held the other out to Hermione. She accepted it, her blush somehow increasing, and he pulled her to her feet. They strolled merrily across the common room to the portrait hole.

Harry didn't let go of her hand until they reached the locker rooms, where he clumsily unlaced his fingers and dusted his Quidditch jersey off.

"Well, erm, I should go in." He stammered. Hermione nodded awkwardly and stared at her shoes. Neither of them moved. "Uh, happy birthday." He added gracelessly.

"Thank you, Harry." She turned to meet his eyes. Harry felt his breath hitch, and his heart spiked at the sight of his friend's face in the early-morning light.

"There you are, Harry!" Wood boomed, throwing the door to the locker room open. Harry and Hermione jumped in surprise, and Wood grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him inside. "Been waiting on you." He grumbled before he practically threw Harry into a chair next to Katie Bell.

"Sorry…" Harry exhaled as he slumped into his seat.

Wood cut the lecture short after a few minutes, claiming it would rain soon and he wanted to use the clear weather as much as possible. Unfortunately, he didn't cut it short enough, and the entirety of the Quidditch team, plus everyone who had come out to watch was soaked by a torrent of rain within minutes of walking onto the pitch. Wood floated the possibility of practicing anyway, but over the roar of the raindrops pummeling the pitch his teammates made their opinions very clear.

"Alright, alright." Wood sighed, traipsing back to the locker rooms.

A half-hour later, Harry, liberated from his soaked Quidditch gear and dressed in Muggle clothing, descended the staircase from his dormitory into the common room. To his surprise and delight, Hermione was waiting for him in the very couch he'd occupied earlier.

"Hey birthday girl." Harry grinned as he reached the bottom of the stairs "Light reading?" He pointed to a familiar emerald-green book.

"It's certainly no Hogwarts: A History, but it's a good one." She smirked, closing the album and placing it in her bag. "Your hair is still soaked."

"Yeah, maintaining this bird's nest is kind of a lost cause – whoa!" He exclaimed as Hermione suddenly whipped her wand out and pointed it at his head. She muttered something and before he could duck in surprise he felt a jet of hot air emit from her wand into his hair. "Thanks…" He mumbled, absent-mindedly running a hand through his now-dry hair.

"Drying charm." She said triumphantly. "Breakfast?"

"Breakfast." He grinned, and the two marched to the Great Hall.

"Alright, Harry?" A meek voice called out from behind them as the pair descended a staircase. Harry turned and his face lit up.

"Hey, Colin! Thanks for doing all that, by the way. You're a brilliant photographer." The bespectacled wizard grinned. Colin stumbled and almost fell down the stairs, his body practically convulsing in sheer glee.

"Anytime!" He squeaked before dashing out of sight.

"That was nice of you to say." Hermione smiled once the first-year made his hurried exit.

"Believe it or not, sometimes I'm not the prat you make me out to be." Harry grinned. "Exhibit A." He added as the two entered the Great Hall. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.

Seamus and Dean were each holding poles and standing about eight feet apart, grinning from ear to ear. Hermione stared at the banner held aloft by the two poles, more specifically the words painted in scarlet and gold: Happy Birthday Hermione!

"Was this you?" She whispered as Harry guided her towards the Gryffindor table, where the entirety of their house was applauding.

"Nobody really needed much encouragement seeing as you're the reason we won the House Cup last year." He responded with a wink. Hermione blushed, and sheepishly took her seat between Harry and Pavarti. A chorus of birthday greetings rang out, accompanied by wide smiles and a shower of gifts.

"You guys didn't have to do this – "

"Nobody's more deserving of something like this than you, Hermione." Lavender interjected, handing her a box of chocolates. Hermione stammered something incoherent and blushingly took the gift, a small smile pulling at her lips.

Everyone in the Great Hall – save the Slytherins – seemed to be in a tremendously good mood. The Gryffindor table in particular was loud and cheerful, and as everyone dug into breakfast the second-years began recounting their favorite memories of the birthday girl.

"Definitely when you knocked out that troll!" Neville mused.

"I'm more of a fan of when you set Snape on fire." Ron grinned.

"I'd be lying if it wasn't getting all those points last year. To win the House Cup." Pavarti playfully nudged Hermione. "My sister's in Ravenclaw and even she was ecstatic."

"I want to hear Harry's favorite memory of Hermione." Lavender said suddenly, placing her chin in her hands and turning to him expectantly. The other Gryffindors followed suit. Harry felt his eyes widen and his stomach drop to the floor.

"W-what?" Harry asked, unsteadily gulping down some pumpkin juice. Lavender just waggled her eyebrows. "Oh. Erm…" He paused, sorting through every moment he'd spent with his best friend for a favorite.

"Earth to Harry!" Seamus smirked, flicking a grape into Harry's cheek.

"All of them." He said suddenly. He felt his cheeks heat up and quickly picked up his goblet to take a sip, even though it was empty.

"How sweet…" Lavender sighed, her eyes flickering between Harry and Hermione.

"Oh, erm, I have to use the loo!" He stammered, hurriedly getting up and looking anywhere except towards the bushy-haired girl next to him. "I'll be right back." He managed before hastily marching out of the Great Hall, his face still hot.

He decided it was worth actually going to the bathroom, if only to splash some water on his face and return his cheeks to a normal color. He couldn't shake the image of Lavender's eyebrows waggling at him, as if he were supposed to pick up on something. He was so distracted he almost walked into a wall, catching himself before continuing on his way. He had just ascended a staircase when it happened. He felt an icy chill slithering down his spine, and every cell in his body felt as if it had been injected with venom.

"Harry, you look pale. Are you alright?" Professor Lockhart suddenly emerged from around a corner, looking pensive.

"Shh!" Harry hissed, straining his ears, his eyes scanning the Great Hall.

"My dear boy, I know you think you're famous, but you can't just – "

"Shh!" He repeated, much fiercer. Not sticking around to see Lockhart's reaction, Harry took off to follow what he thought he'd heard.

He bolted out of the corridor and ascended another staircase, cupping a hand to his ear. Harry didn't care if Lockhart thought he was a prat. Harry didn't even care about Lavender's weird look. Suddenly, Harry didn't care about anything other than the cause of his sudden unease. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, sprinting down the labyrinth of corridors and up and down multiple flights of stairs. The harder he ran, the more he listened, the more he realized he wasn't mishearing anything:

"Come... come to me...Let me rip you…Let me tear you…Let me kill you..."

A/N: Howdy! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Once again, it's a tad shorter than what usually has constituted this story but with the exception of the last 300 words or so this reads more like a one-shot than anything - granted the photoshoot took place a couple chapters earlier. Anyway, Happy birthday Hermione! And Colin comes up clutch, so Harry seems to be a bit more tolerant of his antics. Wonder how that's gonna play out...oh and Lavender is gonna Lavender.

Again, each and every one of you whom has read and reviewed this story, those of you who have added it to your favorites and followed it, you are all amazing. My favorite people in the world. Please do review/follow/favorite if you enjoyed the chapter and/or the story, it means more to me than words are capable of describing.