The first week of school passed relatively smoothly. Hermione and Draco both found it odd to have one of their parent's teaching, but Harry had no sympathy for them, after all, he'd spent the last five years being taught by his father. Hermione did point out that it was different for him, as no-one had known Severus was his father, but Harry wasn't buying it. He reckoned his aunt and best friend just needed to suck it up and accept that their parents were now Professors.

As the end of the first week drew closer, Hermione was still finding it weird having Beth teaching Potions. Although, it did help to accept her as a Professor, as like Severus, she didn't favour Hermione in any way. The same could also be said of Lucius, as in the Dark Arts lessons they'd had so far, he'd never once shown Draco any favouritism.

On Friday afternoon, Hermione and Draco both had their last lesson free, so they'd settled themselves under one of the big trees down beside the Black Lake. There was a few other students outside, enjoying the last rays of summer, but none of them bothered the couple as they sat under the tree. Draco was sitting with his back to the tree, while Hermione was sitting in between his legs, her back nestled against his front as his arms encircled her waist.

"So how do you think things are going?" Draco asked his girlfriend. He was thoroughly enjoying the fact his relationship with Hermione was now out in the open, and they could spend an afternoon lounging in the sun.

"What with?" Hermione questioned. "Having Mum teaching Potions, or everything else?"

"I was talking about everything else," Draco clarified. "I know what it's like to have your parent suddenly being your Professor. I was just wondering how you thought people were taking all the revelations. I have to admit, things I've been calmer than I expected."

"I must admit I expected more resistance," Hermione agreed. "Although, I do think most people are just being cautious. One wrong move, and I still think the school can turn against us. But right now, people aren't willing to cause waves. They're waiting to see just how things are going to pan out."

"Everyone except Weasley," Draco said. "He's still causing trouble."

"Of course he is, this is Ron we're talking about," Hermione replied with a laugh. "He was always going to be trouble."

"And what about the Weaselette?" Draco asked. "I haven't seen her jumping to side with her brother very often."

"That's because she hasn't been," Hermione answered as she swivelled her head to look up at Draco. "She's been pretty quiet and she's stayed away from Harry and I, but I've seen her watching Harry. She still fancies him."

Draco laughed at his best friend's misfortune. "I don't believe it. How can she still fancy him after what happened last year?"

"Beats me," Hermione shrugged. "She really is a brainless idiot."

"Don't be so harsh, that might by your future niece-in-law," Draco joked.

"As if," Hermione snorted. "I'm sure Harry would rather spend his entire life alone than marry that little tart."

"Even so, she could be useful," Draco mused as Hermione twisted her head back around to face the Black Lake.

"How?"

"Well, with you, Harry and Severus all deserting the Order, we have no-one on the inside," Draco replied. "She might be able to tell us things."

"You really expect her to betray her family and turn to our side?" Hermione questioned, this time twisting her entire body so she was facing her boyfriend.

"Not exactly," Draco replied with a wicked grin. "But she might be easily manipulated. She might tell Harry something she shouldn't if he's nice to her."

"You will never get Harry to agree to play up to Ginny," Hermione stated. "The plan actually has merit, but Harry won't be on board with it. Not now he's finally free to be himself and he can focus on getting together with Daphne."

"Maybe we can use someone else," Draco said thoughtfully. "Blaise is pretty charming."

"Blaise is pretty smitten," Hermione retorted, turning her boyfriend's head to the side so he could see Blaise sitting nearby reading to Luna, who was lying with her head in his lap.

"Okay, Theo then," Draco suggested, returning his attention to Hermione.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied. "Don't get me wrong, I really like Theo, but he lacks Blaise's natural charms. He's hardly likely to be able to wheedle sensitive information from Ginny. I think we're just going to have to let this one go. Besides, I doubt there's much to know about the Order, and even then, Ginny might not know anything. She is still a kid, and I knew from experience that Molly treats her like one. Chances are she knows nothing of any value."

"You're probably right," Draco agreed with a nod.

"I usually am," Hermione replied with a grin.

Draco chuckled slightly at his girlfriend as he leant forward and captured her lips with his. Oblivious to the other students down by the lake, the pair lost themselves in the kiss. Draco's hand moved up to tangle in Hermione's hair, while the other one settled on her hip. As Hermione pressed herself closer to Draco, one of her hands slid under his shirt and her fingernails scraped over his toned torso, while the other one trailed lower and teased his zipper.

"Tease," Draco hissed, grabbing Hermione's hand before she opened his trousers in full view of half of the school.

"You love it really," Hermione replied as she rearranged herself so she was properly straddling Draco's lap.

"We're going to have to find somewhere to be alone," Draco said, groaning slightly as Hermione rubbed her backside against his crotch.

"I like that idea," Hermione replied. "Any ideas?"

"Well the room in the library is out, since Harry knows about it," Draco said. "There is the magical room we used last year. The first time we tried it, there was a decent sized bed in the room."

"There was," Hermione agreed, remembering the bed and how at the time they hadn't been ready to take that step in their relationship.

"Just leave everything to me," Draco said, kissing the end of Hermione's nose. "Next Saturday place yourself in my hands, and I promise we'll have a good time."

"Next Saturday?" Hermione queried. "What's wrong with this weekend?"

"Sorry babe, but I've got quidditch to sort this weekend. With Harry as the Gryffindor captain, we've got to up our game this year. I need to organise try-outs as quickly as possible. But I promise, next Saturday I'm all yours."

"I'll hold you to that," Hermione replied with a smile, before she leant forward and ended their conversation by slanting her lips over Draco's.

Once again the couple indulged in a heated kissing session, and when they finally pulled apart they were both breathing heavily and had slightly glazed eyes. If it wasn't for the fact they were outside, and in full view of a fair few people, they both knew that their kissing session would have turned into something more. As it was, they were both fairly turned on and Draco wouldn't be able to stand up without everyone getting a good look at just what he had to offer in the trouser department.

Sliding off his lap, Hermione settled back down on the grass beside her boyfriend, and they stayed like that for another half hour. By that time, Draco had calmed down enough to stand up and it was almost time for dinner. Walking back into school, hand in hand, they shared a brief goodbye kiss at the entrance of The Great Hall, before they separated and headed off to their respective tables.

Hermione had no sooner sat down that she was joined by Harry. Like her boyfriend, he was full of quidditch talk and he informed Hermione that he was also planning to try and sort his team as soon as possible. It looked like both her boyfriend and her nephew were planning on spending the weekend devoted to quidditch, so her first weekend back at school was going to be a boring one.

After dinner, Hermione headed up to Gryffindor Tower with Harry. She'd managed to persuade him to have an evening off before he focused on quidditch for the rest of the weekend, so they were planning on settling down for a game of chess.

"Let me just pin the sign-up sheet up on the noticeboard," Harry said when they arrived back at the common room.

"Okay, I'll set up the board," Hermione replied.

Hermione had barely taken Harry's chess set out of the box when Ron arrived in the common room. Over the course of the last week the redhead had taken to pointedly ignoring Harry and Hermione, but it seemed he'd had enough of that and the first thing he did when he entered the room was head over to see what Harry was placing on the noticeboard.

"Quidditch try-outs," Ron snapped loudly. "Why are you pinning up a sign up sheet for quidditch try-outs?"

"I need to put the team together, and most of them left last year," Harry replied, sticking the last pin in the bottom corner of the sheet.

"You need to put a team together," Ron repeated with a frown. "Don't say they made you captain."

"Okay, I won't say it," Harry replied with a shrug as he turned around and made his way back to Hermione, who had paused in setting up the game to watch what was going to happen with Ron.

"Seriously? You're the captain?" Ron demanded. By this time several people were watching with interest, not that Ron was bothered about the audience.

"I'm the captain," Harry confirmed as he sunk down in one of the cosy chairs beside the fire.

"Well, I quit," Ron said. "I won't play for you."

"Fine by me, your place wasn't guaranteed anyway," Harry shrugged.

"You were going to kick me off the team," Ron thundered, turning red at the revelation.

"Everyone needs to try out for the team, no-one's position is safe," Harry answered calmly. "If you'd wanted to be on the team, you would have had to go through try-outs."

"Well I don't want to be on your poxy team," Ron snarled. "Good luck finding a replacement."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Harry snorted in amusement. "Let's be honest Ron, you're weren't the best keeper in the world. I never would have put you on the team last year if I'd been captain. And your performances did nothing to change my mind. You were hopeless, especially in the last match against Slytherin. Draco put a girl on the team, and you turned to mush. Pathetic."

"I'll show you who's pathetic," Ron roared as he pulled out his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Without thinking, Hermione leapt up as soon as Ron pulled out his wand, and when he spat a spell at Harry, she pushed her nephew out of way, causing Ron's full body bind curse to hit her firmly in the back. Hermione crashed to the floor, unable to move or react in any way, as her nephew pulled out his own wand and pointed it at Ron.

"Calvorio."

As the jet of red light hit Ron, several people burst out laughing as his mop of unruly red hair vanished, leaving him completely bald, but Harry turned straight to Hermione and released her from the body bind.

"What have you done to me?" Ron cried as everyone laughed at him.

"Take a look in the mirror," Harry called over his shoulder, causing Ron to run out of the room, before he turned to his aunt and gave her a smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hermione replied, rolling her shoulder tentatively.

"Really?" Harry checked, not sure he believed his aunt.

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but a shrill, girlish cry sounded from the boys dorms, followed by angry footsteps on the stairs.

"Snape!" Ron growled, bursting into the room. "Give me back my hair."

"Sorry, don't know how," Harry replied with a smirk. Of course he did know how to reverse the spell, but he wasn't going to tell Ron that.

"You're going to pay for this," Ron vowed as he stalked over to the door so he could go and see if Madam Pomfrey could help him.

"You got what you deserved for attacking Hermione," Harry shot back as Ron darted out of the common room, all the time muttering about getting his revenge.

"You're going to have to watch out for Ron," Hermione advised her nephew. "He'll be after you now."

"As if I care," Harry retorted with a snort. "I'm not scared of Ron Weasley."

"You might get into trouble though," Hermione pointed out. "You did hex his hair off."

"After he tried to hex me, and hit you instead," Harry argued. "There's plenty of witnesses to say he started it. I didn't provoke him in any way, all I did was tell him he would have to try out for the quidditch team if he wanted to play this year."

"You did say he was a rubbish keeper," Hermione laughed.

"After last year's fiasco with Slytherin, is it any wonder?" Harry replied. "Everyone knows he was terrible last year, Hermione. No captain in their right mind would just allow him back on the team without seeing if there was someone better out there. I just want the best team, and I don't think Ron is part of that team. But if he wants to try out, I'll give him a fair go."

"I think he made his position clear," Hermione said. "He won't be trying out for the team."

"I don't really think it's our loss," Harry answered. "Now about this game of chess, are we ever going to get on with it?"

"Yeah, let's get going," Hermione replied.

As they settled down to play, Hermione noticed Ginny signing up for quidditch try-outs, and she wondered what Ron would make of it. However, she didn't have to wait long to find out as Ron came stomping back into the common room, his hair back in place, less than half an hour later. The first thing he did was walk over to the sheet to see who had signed up, and he turned a nasty shade of purple when he saw his sister's name.

"Traitor," He hissed as Ginny. "I can't believe you're going to play for him."

"It's just a game, Ron," Ginny replied with a sigh. "You know I've always wanted to play quidditch. I'm not missing out."

"Well don't expect me to support you. I hope Gryffindor lose the cup this year," Ron seethed, turning on his heel and stomping up to the boys dorms.

"Well, isn't he Mr house spirit," Lavender Brown remarked with an inelegant snort.

"Typical Ron," Harry muttered to Hermione. "Always losing his cool over something."

"That temper of his will get him in trouble some day," Hermione predicted as she once again rolled her shoulder, which was becoming a bit stiff.

She'd let Ron get away with cursing her, because Harry had hit him back, but if he ever attempted to hurt her or Harry again, she would make sure he paid for it. Next time he lashed out, he would regret it and Hermione was sure that the only person going to get hurt if Ron carried on like this was Ron himself. She would have thought he would have known better than to mess with The Dark Lord's family, but obviously he was too thick to realise he was putting his life in danger by carrying on the way he was. If he wasn't careful, he'd go the same way as Dumbledore.