Dedicated to Eternally-Blackrose-Yours, who, by some strange act of fate, actually gives a damn. About updates, I mean. Other cool people include: firewolfalpha, Nutz Nina, fifespice, DCoD, weirdlyyours, and Weasleylover35753.

Oh, and does it seem like ff-dot-net has a lot more ads nowadays? Hmm. Anyway, here is the aforementioned update. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen: Ravenclaw-ish Somethings

"It isn't working, then?" Potter asked warily.

Hermione's forehead creased in frown lines. "No, and I've tried it five times now. We can definitely rule out any sort of invisible ink."

"Isn't there some kind of spell?"

"I tried Specialis Revelio, but it didn't work either, remember? And unless we know enough about it, I can't look for a specific spell."

Potter sighed and rubbed his cheek.

Hermione watched him cautiously. Considering the fact that he was apparently a Slytherin and best friends with that mean pale boy, he was astonishingly calm and friendly. That didn't mean she trusted him, however much she wanted to.

"Have you tried…" Hermione trailed off. "You know…writing in it some more?"

His head snapped up. "No. Should I be?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No, no. That's why I asked. It'd be dangerous to try and communicate with it before we know any more about it. It, er…well, it might be dangerous," the girl finished lamely.

Potter nodded, but he was once again lost in thought. He seemed to do that a lot, Hermione had noticed not without some annoyance. She looked out the window and noticed the sky darkening.

Potter apparently had noticed as well. "Look, I've got to go, alright? Thanks for all the help." He smiled tiredly. Even then Hermione felt he was acting. Would he be here, sitting with her, if she wasn't top of their year? Something told her, as he left the empty classroom they'd met in, that Harry Potter had forgotten all about her once he set foot outside the door.

Hermione could expect no better.

She gathered up her books and left as well. It was nearly dinnertime, and she spent a few happy moments thinking of warm meals, not noticing that someone had passed her in the hall and then stopped abruptly.

"Oh. It's you. Granger, isn't it?" a voice sneered.

Hermione focused. It was that pale boy, Potter's friend, being strangely civil. Hermione believed this was around the first time in all five years at the school when he'd called her by her name and not 'Mudblood'. Perhaps Potter…no, he wouldn't intervene on her behalf with his best friend.

"Yes. It's me," she said cautiously. "Do you…do you need something?"

He glanced into the classroom she'd been in, then leaned against the wall with his arms folded. "Funny how accommodating an empty classroom is for Herbology work, eh?" he asked coolly.

She blinked in confusion. "Herbology work?" she replied slowly.

He said nothing, but a look of triumph had come into his eyes at her bewilderment. It was at the same time a bitter look, and Hermione didn't like it. All she'd seen of this boy told her that by this point in their meeting he'd be throwing around insults and punishing her for walking crooked.

Then it hit her—Potter had told his friend that he'd been seeing her for Herbology work. Most other girls would have broken down and cried right in front of this Slytherin in her situation, but Hermione Granger was a logical being. She'd been helping Potter with his strange book, not anything in the least romantic. Therefore, she reasoned as the blonde boy watched her wordlessly, it was not her that Potter was hiding. It was the diary.

In the face of this sneering boy, Hermione almost laughed. He caught the twitch in her face and moved closer.

"Why are you laughing, Granger? Something funny?"

She shook her head and was about to reply when a new voice startled them.

"Er," it said.

They both turned. It was the redheaded Hufflepuff that she'd been working with a lot. In his hand he held a copy of the Transfiguration textbook. Her copy.

"Sorry to interrupt. Only, I think I took your copy instead of mine after class and I thought you'd want it back…" he said in a bored voice.

She picked the Transfiguration book out of the stack in her arms, and sure enough the insides said "Ron Weasley" and were filled with numerous doodles of Professor McGonagall's head on various animals. For the second time that day, Hermione nearly laughed. She walked over to Ron—er, Weasley—and exchanged books. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem." By then the redhead had noticed the tension and awkwardness in the hall and asked, "I guess I'll go on to dinner, then—"

"—No, it's alright. I was just leaving. I'll come with you," Hermione said, glancing at the unreadable Malfoy.

Weasley stared at her a little, but recovered and said, "Oh. Er, alright, I s'pose."

Hermione gladly left the brooding Slytherin behind her, though she was sure he watched the two walk off. Determined to get her mind off the strange encounter, she focused on the tall boy beside her. He was walking with a rather pleased expression on his face. Admittedly, this was the first time she'd been civil to him, but she owed it for being rescued from Potter's friend.

"I'm actually a bit surprised you didn't notice you had the wrong book," he said. "You're usually on top of the whole scholarly bit," he explained.

"Oh, I've been a little preoccupied," she said as they rounded a corner. "Need more sleep, I suppose."

He nodded and fell silent. Hermione felt the need to say something nice, so tentatively she began: "I…I noticed you haven't really been getting the Summoning Charm down so well…" Weasley jerked his face her way, and she could see him getting angry. "What I mean is…you know, if you'd like some help or something sometime. You really did me a big favor back there." She shivered. "That Malfoy boy can be intimidating."

Weasley scrutinized her for a moment, then gave a slight smile of acceptance. "Thanks. I'll remember that. And he's not all that scary," he added as the walked into the Great Hall where dinner had already begun.

She cocked her head. "No?"

He waved his hand. "Nah. Did you see that split he had in his lip? I did that a few days ago."

For the first time that day Hermione's laugh escaped her lips.

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