Hermione Granger watched as her friend Harry Potter stormed into the Common Room, throwing himself on the couch beside her in a huff. "Well, that was weird."

Hermione Granger looked up, studying Harry, and asks, "Why, what happened?"

"Malfoy." Harry Potter said huffily. "It was just a bloody simple question! Instead of answering it-" Hnarry just shook his head, and then, abruptly collecting himself, he said quietly, "Not here."

"The library?" Hermione Granger said, and in moments was dragging him out the door. Neither of them really saw Ron Weasley glaring at them from where he'd been playing a horrible game of chess with Dean.

Arriving at the library, Hermione Granger ushered Harry Potter to her usual seat, deep in the annals of the library. "What, exactly, did you want to ask Malfoy? You don't voluntarily talk to a snake... well, at least not the human kind."

Harry Potter smirked cheerlessly at her joke, "I just... wanted to know why he hadn't... used the house I almost got into against me yet..."

"Oh, Harry..." Hermione said, "You do realize that if he knows he's getting under your skin, he's going to be that much worse."

Harry Potter sighed, saying, "Unfortunately. But... I dunno, maybe not this time."

Hermione looked at Harry, who was unaccountably fidgeting, and otherwise looking nervous. "Harry." Hermione said, giving that "down the nose" look that said, "spit it out already."

"He said, if you can believe it, that I could talk to him."

"And... what possible reason would he have for believing you'd like to do that?" Hermione said, chortling a soft belly laugh.

"Erm... seemed to think I wouldn't tell you about things, because you'd worry." Harry Potter said, his hand awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

"And where would he get that impression?" Hermione said sternly, well aware that Harry liked keeping secrets if it was for someone else's good.

"Not this year! Honest!" Harry said, "I mean... I know I haven't exactly been Mr. Sunshine lately, but you know - with Sirius and all that." Harry scratched the back of his neck again, saying "Nothing much to keep secret, really."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, using one arm to pull him into a half hug. She laughed a little, "He actually expected you to believe he'd not tell your secrets? After the dragon episode?"

"Yeah, but you'd love how he put it - all saying that he's going to use them against me, eventually."

"Now that sounds a lot more like him." Hermione said, nodding knowingly.

"Apparently he doesn't want his revenge getting confused with Voldemort or his father's."

"He's not worried about you dying before he can enact his revenge?" Hermione questioned.

"That arrogant arse? Of course not." And they both burst out laughing.

[God, I love writing Hermione. I can use Words! ... erm, on my other stories, where it's mostly Harry's perspective, he doesn't know words like annals.

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