"Harry are you all right?" Hermione asked later that day when they sat together in potions.

"Perfectly." This earned a look of skepticism.

"You've been glaring at Snape all afternoon, which is much more than usual."

Harry hadn't realized it was so obvious. It was proving impossible to hide the loathing he felt for the professor. He'd thought he couldn't hate Snape any more than he did but now knowing what he did, it had gotten even worse.

He was therefor grateful he didn't have to see Dumbledore on a day to day basis. Everyone knew he hated Snape, his behavior towards him would be no surprise to anyone. But Dumbledore was renowned and beloved by all, including Harry up until this time.

"I've just been thinking how much better we'd all be at potions without him teaching" He replied as a cover.

"I know but you better not let him catch you looking at him like that. He'd probably give you detention for it."

A few minutes later Colin Creevey showed up to retrieve Harry for the weighing of the wands. Harry sighed at this, knowing that also meant he'd be meeting with Rita Skeeter. On the way there he tried in vain to think of some way to avoid being pulled into a one on one interview again. In the end though things happened much the same way as before, including while he had been gone, Ron and Malfoy trying to curse each other and Hermione being caught in the crossfire. Harry was glad he hadn't been there when it happened this time. He wouldn't have been able to keep from hexing Snape in retaliation for his "I see no difference" comment.

When the paper came out the next day at breakfast, Harry decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.

"Be back in a minute" Harry told Hermione who looked at him curiously when he arose from the table.

He walked over to the ravenclaw table scanning the crowd for a head straggly blonde hair.

"Excuse me, are you Luna Lovegood?" He asked the girl in question, feigning ignorance.

"Yes it is" Came the dreamy response.

"You're father runs The Quibbler doesn't he?" Luna's eyes lit up at this.

"He does, in fact he just published a new article on the crumple-horned snorkack earlier this week" She said proudly. Harry ignored the snickering of other ravenclaws when she said this.

"That sounds very fascinating Luna" He replied warmly. "I was wondering if your father would be interested in interviewing me for his paper. I know he probably has more important things to be writing about such as the infestation of nargles in mistletoe," Luna beamed at this, "But The Daily Prophet has written an article filled with falsehoods about me and I'd like a chance to correct it with a paper I trust to represent me honestly.

"I'm sure my daddy would be more than happy to do this, Potter. I'll write him a letter about it after breakfast if you'd like."

"I would appreciate it very much thank you, and please call me Harry."

Harry and Hermione sat on the sofa in front the fireplace in the common room late that night, waiting for Sirius to contact them.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to use The Quibbler to tell your side of things. Nobody takes that paper seriously" Hermione was saying to him.

"Well maybe an interview with me will make them seem more creditable" He replied fighting a smile. "Luna seems like a very nice girl, if a little odd at times."

"I don't know how she can be in ravenclaw and believe in such ridiculous imaginary things" She replied with a shake of her head.

"Her dad seems to have ingrained them within her and it seems to have ostracized her some. She seems kind of lonely, maybe what she needs is a friend. Besides what's the harm in her believing what she does?"

Hermione opened her mouth to say exactly what she saw wrong in Luna's beliefs but was luckily for Harry, interrupted by Sirius appearing in the fireplace.

Upon seeing his godfather again Harry was close to tears, but he managed to hold himself together and answer the same questions as before.

"You said there was a third person in your dream, did they mention his name?" When they got to this question suddenly Harry decided to flip the script.

"I feel like I remember hearing it but I can't think what." Then pretending to think really hard on it he then continued" I remember now, it was Barty Crouch!" He said, feigning surprise and puzzlement. "But it can't have been the same man who works for the ministry and is helping run the tournament, he did look like him a little but was much younger."

Sirius looked very grave at this and Harry knew why. "This is troubling news, Harry. Barty Crouch had a son named after him and that son was one of Voldemort's followers. He was imprisoned in Azkaban years ago, put there by his own father. And yet we certainly would have heard about it if he'd broken out."

"Perhaps they're trying to hush it up" Harry offered. "After all it caused quite a stir when you did last year and the fact that they still haven't caught you…"

"I suppose that's possible though it would be very foolish of the ministry to do so. But then Fudge would do anything to save face."

"Harry someone's coming downstairs!" Hermione warned and unfortunately the conversation had to end there. But Sirius cautioned him to be careful who he trusted and promised they would talk more of this when he arrived in Scotland. Harry and Hermione played dumb when Ron arrived and that was that.

Harry was beginning to feel frustrated at the lack of change he'd been unable to make so far in this new timeline. The problem was he hadn't had any real time to himself the past few days. And now after meeting up with Hagrid and telling Hermione about the dragons, she had dragged him off the library to look for spells.

Harry shut the book he'd been poring over causing Hermione to look. "Let's take a break" he told her.

"We can't, the first task is only two days away!" She protested fiercely.

"Don't worry, I've just come up with a plan" He explained about using the summoning spell to bring his broom to him and Hermione had to admit it was a brilliant idea.

"Let's go find an empty classroom, I can teach it to you."

"But first a break" Harry insisted.

"Alright fine. But only a very short one."

"Fine by me, c'mon on then" He grabbed her hand and led her out of the library.

"Wait Harry where are we going?" Hermione asked in surprise but put up no resistance and let him lead her.

"Fred and George told me how to get into the kitchens."

"Why do you want to go there?"

"That's where the house elves are." Hermione's eyes widened at this and she beamed at him.

"Really? Oh Harry!"

While Hermione talked to the other house elves, trying in vain to convince them to fight for wages. Harry meanwhile got reacquainted with Dobby.

"Listen Dobby, do you know of any good places to practice spellwork? Hermione and I were going to use an empty classroom but it'd better if we didn't risk getting in trouble with the professors."

"Yes! Dobby knows the perfect place. It is called the come and go room." Harry smiled knowingly.

Harry had to drag Hermione away from the house elves after she spent an hour arguing with them.

"Why can't they see deserve so much better!" She wailed.

"I'm sorry Hermione" He replied sincerely.

"It's all right, I guess I should have realized it wouldn't be that easy," Then cheering up some she continued, "Thank you for taking me there Harry. I just knew you'd come around to S. . eventually."

"Er right. Well let's get back to work then" He said, awkwardly suddenly desperate for a change of subject.

"Which classroom should we use? I was thinking Mcgonagall."

"Actually Dobby mentioned somewhere else we can practice, a place where no one can disrupt us."

Her curiosity piqued, she followed him without question. Harry was feeling excited now. Using the Room of Requirement had been a great idea on his part. Not for practicing a spell he already knew of course but for the mission at hand. And to think what a mistake it had been revealing it's existence to the entire D.A. in the previous timeline.

He walked past the corridor three times and pictured in his mind a cozy little room full of tables, chairs, and bookshelves.

"Ready?" He asked his best friend who nodded fervently. Instinctively he took her hand again and then blushed when he saw her odd expression.

He didn't have time to think of the new feelings that had been arising in him lately so he put it aside in his mind.

Hermione gasped when he opened the door that had appeared in front of them. He explained to her about how it all worked.

"This is amazing!" She exclaimed, walking about the room in fascination.

"Yeah it really is."

Hermione was very pleased with how fast Harry had learned the summoning charm. "I guess I just have a good teacher" Was his only response, smiling warmly at her and she blushed prettily.

"I guess we can head back to the common room then" She said after recovering from the compliment.

"Or we could stay here" Harry blurted out suddenly. "I just mean, it's so incredible here. Why not enjoy it a little longer."

"What would we do here?" She wondered.

"I don't know" He admitted. "I know! How about I teach you something. Like say the patronus charm?"

She looked at him with an odd expression. "I don't know, Harry. That's a really complicated spell, I'm not sure I could manage it."

"Hermione you're the smartest, most talented person I know. If anyone can learn it, you can."

"Thank you. Well I suppose I can at least give it a try." Her face was glowing now and Harry thought to himself that she really was beautiful in her own special way.

They spent the next two hours together working at it and much like she had in fifth year, Hermione was picking it up very quickly, already able to shoot streams of silvery light out her wand by the end. A little more time practicing and she would have a fully formed patronus. Unfortunately that would have to wait a few days for the first task was nearly upon them.

"Are you nervous?" Hermione asked the morning of the big day. Harry remembered how scared he had been the first time around. Now however he knew exactly what to do and found his thoughts turning to other matters.

"Not as much as I was" He assured her. "And it's all thanks to you."

He'd been thinking about her more and more lately. In a way so completely different than he ever had before. In fact the truth was, this had started long before he'd traveled back in time. He wasn't sure when exactly. Maybe when Ron had accused them before abandoning them during the horcrux hunt, but probably even before then.

At the time he'd shoved those thoughts into the deepest parts of his mind, refusing to even consider it. She was his best friend and that's all they could ever be. She loved Ron, he was sure of it and besides he'd had Ginny (though his feelings for the youngest Weasley had been fading for while and he had begun to realize it was as shallow as his crush on Cho had been).

But now so much had changed. Neither of them were close with Ron anymore. Hermione occasionally brought him up, but it was a half hearted attempt. Still even if her feelings for Ron weren't give a chance to even develop this time around, that did not mean that she wouldn't continue to think of Harry in the most platonic of ways.

Perhaps it was best that way. Harry had more important things to be doing than getting in a relationship. He had made that mistake with Ginny before. And he would never want to do anything that could risk his friendship with Hermione that a possible eventual break up could cause.

"Harry" Her voice roused him from his thoughts.

"Sorry what were you saying?" He asked apologetically.

"I said I'm glad you're feeling confident. You have the summoning spell perfected and I'm certain you'll do great."

"Thanks."

It was then time for them to part ways, Harry to the champions tent and Hermione to the stands.

"Good luck Harry" She said reaching up to kiss him on the cheek and Harry felt his earlier resolve, that it was better they remained just friends, weakening considerably.