---------------------------------

Snape woke up quickly, like someone switching on a light, and was up on his feet, wand in hand, before he even noticed that he had a migrane. Instincts that had saved his life before. He looked around carefull, trying to recall details of the night before, and coing up completely blank. He recognised the room he was in, but only barely, and that was surprising. He assumed that he must be somewhere in the Underground. After all, that was where he usually spent his Saturday nights. The only strange about the situation was that he had woken up alone, considering the circumstances.

He grimaced in pain as his head felt like it had just been assaulted with several tons of concrete. It was then that he noticed the small bottle on the side table beside the bed.

Thought you might want this. In case you can't tell, it's a hangover remedy.

By the way, I'm sure we can trust you to keep our little secret? Because otherwise, we might have to do something rash.

-Harry & Ron

The night before hit him like a freight train. Potter and Weasley? Shit.

He picked up the bottle and stared at it, trying to determine if it was what the note said it was. When he was satisfied, he downed the bottle and sighed in relief as his head stopped pounding. Staggering slightly from tiredness, he weaved out of the bedroom, trying to remember why it was he had even agreed to find out where Potter was going at night.

As he put on his coat, he sneered to himself, recalling his stupidity of the night before. How could he have been so ridiculously dimwitted as to get drunk when he was on a 'mission' from the headmaster himself?

He checked to make sure his wand was in his robes, and made his way back to Hogwarts as quickly as possible. He needed to speak to Dumbledore. But first, he needed to speak to Potter.

-------------------------

Harry was splayed over a chair obscenely in the common room, and both Ron and Hermione were looking at him appreciatively. He smiled at them, and finished his recount of the night before.

"So, anyway, we left him in the room with a hangover remedy and that was that."

Hermione laughed. "Did you really tell him he looked sexy?"

Harry shifted awkwardly, not looking at either of them. "Well...umm...that is...yeah..."

More laughter.

"What?" He snapped, sitting up. He didn't like being laughed at.

Hermione's eyes sparkled mischeviously. "I'm just trying to picture the two of you together. You would be so hot."

Harry blinked. "O...kay..."

"Oh, come on!" Hermione argued. "You can't see it?"

Ron was choking.

Harry, smirking at Ron's antics, replied, "Not really..."

Hermione just smiled knowingly at him, and changed the subject. "I'm sorry I couldn't go last night, but I just had to finish that essay, we only had the weekend to do it, and-"

"Hermione," Ron interrupted. "It's okay."

He kissed her. Her troubled expression faded instantly to one of purest contentment. Harry grinned, his fangs making it look dangerous despite his calm expression.

"You two belong together, you know that?"

Ron threw a pillow at him.

----------------------------

It was Potions class. The 'Golden Trio' was sitting in the back of the room, looking somewhat menacing despite the fact that they were trying to hold back an explosion of laughter as Snape snapped at Malfoy for 'holding the ingredients wrong'. It was the third time that class he had taken points from Slytherin, and the Gryffindors were looking on in shock while the Slytherins were discreetly checking their head of house for enchantments.

"I think someone's in a bad mood..." Harry whispered to Hermione, who was sitting in the middle. She turned to shush him before Snape saw, but it was too late.

"Potter!"

Harry sat up straight. "Yes, sir?"

Snape stared, as if trying to decide if that had been a sarcastic remark or not.

"Detention for talking during class."

He nodded. "Yes sir."

He stuck his tongue out at Snape when his back was turned. When Ron snickered, Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ron!"

"Sorry," He muttered, ducking his head. Harry laughed quietly to himself, then turned back to the class.

-----------------------------

"You should make your move in detention tonight."

Harry spluttered and dropped his glass of pumpkin juice, which he had not been drinking anyway. The liquid slowly spread across the table, until Hermione grabbed a napkin and started to mop it up. Harry was still staring at her in horror.

"That can't mean what I think it meant."

She tutted and gave him a look. "Of course it did, Harry. You should. You admitted that you think he's good looking, and while he's not the nicest of people, he's not exactly evil...He might even be nice, very, very deep down..."

"Yeah!" Harry retorted. "I'm sure he's just acting like a complete bastard to hide his secret heartache!"

Giving him an exasperated look, Hermione cocked an eyebrow at him. "Now you're just being difficult."

Harry nodded. "Glad you figured that out. Maybe you'll leave me alone about this now."

She smacked him in the back of the head. "I'm not going to let you ruin a chance like this."

Harry glared at her. "What if I like you and Ron more than him? What if I like him, but I would rather spend time with the two of you?"

Hermione drew back, as if this was a completely new idea for her.

"I...well..."

Harry snorted in contempt. "Thought so."

With a sneer, he got up from the table. Hermione looked for a moment like she was going to follow him, but thought better of it. Ginny, on the other hand, who had been listening in, was not quite so wise. Frowning, she quickly made an an excuse to her friends and followed Harry out of the Hall.

"Harry!"

Snarling, Harry turned around, expecting Hermione, only to be greeted with a shocked Ginny staring at him. Sighing, he dropped the sneer. This is Ginny. Ginny equals friend. Harmless friend. Play nice.

"What do you want, Ginny?" He asked wearily.

She walked up to him, concerned. "What was Hermione talking about?"

"Nothing," Harry answered quickly. Be careful, Harry. This could get bad. "It was nothing. Just some stupid argument. She wants me to make a move on someone I'm interested in, and I...I didn't want to hurt her or Ron."

"But," Ginny asked, confused. "Aren't Ron and Hermione together? Why would you going out with someone hurt either of them?"

Shit. Glancing away, Harry realized his mistake. It was too late to say anything to fix it, though. Now all he could hope for was some decent damage control.

"Ginny, I can't answer that, because anything I say could put me - and you - in danger." It was a blatant lie, but there was nothing else for it. "I promise I'll tell you everything eventually, okay? Just...not now."

She nodded, and Harry smiled.

"Good. I have to go to detention now. Snape," he added, grimacing. She winced in sympathy. "I'll see you later, Ginny."

"Okay," she said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as soon as Harry turned around.

There was definitely something very wrong there. And there was no way in hell that she was letting Harry get away with all the crap he had just spewed at her.

--------------

Harry headed to the dungeons, trying not to worry too much about the conversation that had just taken place. He had as much as given away his relationship with Ron and Hermione to Ginny, and that could have been a complete disaster. She had gotten much more aggressive over the years, and if she thought for a moment that Harry was hurting either Ron or Hermione, or if she had any kind of problem with the thought of him and Ron together, she could potentially ruin their lives.

For a while, at least.

But he had dodged that bullet, for the moment, and now all he had to worry about was his 'detention'. He had the feeling that it wasn't so much a detention as an opportunity for Snape to interrogate him.

Just bloody perfect.