I'm in love with you, just not IN love with you


AN: I do not own Harry Potter. I receive no profit from this. and it is a definite AU so be prepared for some inconsistencies.


Hermione and Harry stepped over a fallen Ron, who was a little bit shell-shocked apparently.

"Damn bloody bastard, I really wanted to tell you myself Hermione." Hermione giggled and shook her head.

"Figures, Ron would have to blurt it out, can't keep a secret for too long that boy." Hermione turned and flashed Harry a genuinely happy smile.

"I'm glad you finally came out Harry. This makes things soo much easier for me and Ginny in the match-maker department." Harry stopped and looked at her, a little bit like a deer in the headlights.

"You knew!" Hermione suddenly realized what she said.

"Ermm, oopsie?"

Harry shook his head. "So what gave it away?" Hermione smiled softly, she got worried for a second there, but Harry seemed happier right now than he had in a long time, it was genuine and not a show for close friends.

"Well..." Hermione stopped and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, it was just something I picked up on, like how you were with Cho, I could tell you genuinely liked her, but it also wasn't like most boys. You never stared at her chest like any of the other guys, Ron in particular, despite how low she would sometimes wear her blouses. That and your fashion sense. You have impeccable fashion sense. At first I thought it was just because the Dursleys made you wear those HORRID clothes, but after a little bit it just started to seem too well put together. NOT that I'm making you into one of those stereotypical gay men."

Harry faked a stab through the heart. "Hermione! God, basing my sexuality on fashion alone. Haven't all those book taught you anything?"

Hermione faked a pause in conversation. "Actually, not really. I mean I pick up things hear and there but it was actually from a Witch's Weekly mag that I began to realize." Hermione giggled a bit more girly than what was usual from her. Harry rolled his eyes and turned his head over his shoulder, checking to see if Ron had caught up with them yet.

"The fat lazy bastard might have fallen asleep."

Ron quickly jogged, catching up to them. "What do you mean fat and lazy?" Ron threw his arms around both the shoulders of the two short people in front of them. "I have you know that I only eat so much because I am a growing boy, and I need my energy. Mom says so too, why else would she end every letter, 'Ron, make sure you eat your vegetables.'" Ron laughed as Harry and Hermione looked at each other and rolled their eyes in unison.

"But seriously mate, what do you mean I'm not attractive?" Ron withdrew his arms from around the two of them, allowing Hermione to cough into her hand and double over, trying to hold back her laughter. Harry blushed a bright pink.

"I didn't mean it like that Ron. I just meant that I'm not attracted to you. Not that I have anything against gingers."

That was Ron just had to start. "Oh, so now you don't like me because my hair is red." Harry was about to retort when a smooth, drawling voice spoke out from the shadows.

"About time you began to realize Potter, association with Weasley's gets you nothing, except an eye-sore room full of gingers."

The emotions of the group seemed to change in an instant. Ron was angry, as usual, Harry was upset and righteous, and Hermione no longer laughed into her hand, seeming ready to pull her wand and jinx every strand of hair on his body to either disappear or turn the brightest red imaginable.

Draco looked as calm and cool as ever. His back leaned against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest, one hand already holding onto his wand, pressing it against his left shoulder. Harry was the one to break the silence.

"Can it Malfoy, or are you still jealous that Ron is a better best-friend than you could ever hope of becoming, or is it still because I chose him over you. And guess what, I still chose him over you, always." Harry's words were particularly vicious this time around.

Draco quickly stepped off the wall, and with his left hand flipped back his hair that was let loose from its usual stiffness. His neatly pressed black slacks seemed to contrast with his shirt, let loose of being tucked in and unbuttoned to his mid-chest. He turned and walked away into the direction the trio has just came from.

Hermione, ever vigilant, yelled after him. "Curfew is in ten minutes." Draco continued walking, raising a hand as if to bat her words away from behind him.

"I'm a prefect, in case you don't remember. Little miss mudblood bookworm." Ron would have leapt at him, if he didn't already turn the corner and go out of sight. Harry and Hermione already both instinctively held onto one arm each.

"Damn ruddy bastard. I dare him to one time stay, not backed up with his two goons, and just let me go at him." Hermione was the one to calm him down.

"It's ok Ron. He's just saying those things because daddy's locked away in Azkaban and now no one wants anything to do with him, good riddance, but he wants attention. Even negative attention."

"Come on Ron, it's like Hermione says. He just wants to get a rise out of people. Don't listen to anything he says. It's like a broken record. All he knows are the same taunts and insults."

"Record?" Hermione sighed.

"Its a muggle device Ron. It's actually an old one but the saying stuck. It just means that he repeats the same things over and over."

Ron's stomach at that time actually had the audacity to rumble. Harry laughed at him while Hermione just crossed her arms and scolded. "How do you even manage to get that hungry in an hour Ronald Weasley!" Ron smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know, but I do know that I'm gonna run over to the kitchens real quick and grab me an after-dinner snack. Can I borrow your cloak Harry?"

"Sure Ron." Harry slipped the shrunken thing out of his pocket and handed it to Ron.

"Harry!" Hermione was getting ready to go into full lecture mode. "Don't encourage his delinquent behavior!"

"So? Either I let him borrow it and sleep sweetly tonight, or I stay up all night with his stomach rumbling ferociously keeping everyone up. You forget Hermione that I share a room with that walking stomach." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Ron, you could lose your prefect privileges. (pause) Ron?" Hermione looked around, but Ron had either already left or was just hiding underneath the cloak. "Damn that boy. Come on Harry, curfew is in three minutes now and the last thing we need is to get caught by Snape just outside our common room."

Hermione might not be able to completely boss everyone, but ever obedient Harry stepped up the pace and they made it to the common room within the time.

Harry and Hermione situated themselves in front of the fireplace and waited to either hear Ron's soft knock or for their medallions, like the ones from the DA, to light up. The difference from these medallions was that it only worked between the three of them and they carried it constantly as a security measure. The ever genius Hermione created them to change not only numbers but words as well, so messages could be sent, the best part was that if someone lost their wand a quick squeeze with their thumb would cause the others to burn, alerting the other two that one was in danger. Hermione wore hers as a ring, it was shrunk in size and resembled an old Italian coin, much like some tourist souvenir. Harry's was attached to a leather cord bracelet he wore, a hole was punched out in the center and it stayed locked through that. Ron's was attached to the back of the watch he wore.

Harry and Hermione's coin warmed up briefly with little words on the diameter of them changing. 'Snape outside door. Not moving.' Harry and Hermione briefly whispered with their heads huddled together catching the attention of Seamus who was studying together with Dean at a table not too far from theirs.

"What's the matter guys?" Harry and Hermione looked around before waving the two of them over.

"Ron's stuck outside but Snape is most likely positioned there so he can't get in."

Seamus muttered, 'Damn bloody bastard under his breath.' While Dean just rubbed his chin thinking. Dean called over what looked like a first or second year.

"Hey, could you do me a favor and just step outside for a moment. I need to prove something to my friends."

The girl narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Is something bad going to happen to me? Because my friend said nothing bad was going to happen when I ate a canary cream but I ended up falling through the canopy atop my bed and breaking an arm."

Dean looked affronted. "Nooo. Nothing is going to happen. We just need to let open the door to cool off the common room for a moment, besides, where is your Gryffindor spirit?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at him again. "If something happens I'm going to kick you."

She then went and opened the portrait door very wide open, leaving enough room for Ron to sneak in, but still felt the sudden brush of soft fabric against her shoulder.

Snape stared at her. "Miss Brower, is there a reason why you are stepping out of the common room past curfew?"

Alice Brower shook her head and spoke in a very soft voice. "My friend thought that she heard a noise coming from outside, but because she was scared she didn't want to see what it was. I told her there was nothing scary...," Alice sighed and spoke even softer to the stone floor, "but I guess I was wrong."

Snape just pointed and sent her back into the common room, slamming the portrait door shut and angering the Fat Lady.

Everyone who had gone quiet to see the exchange of words between the two snickered and then started laughing loudly. Alice actually had a big smile on her face. "I can't believe I said that to a professor." But then she coughed and looked very serious at Dean Thomas. "Some Gryffindor, sending a little girl out to face the bat." And then she kicked his shin, going back to her little group of friends who all clapped her back and cheered her.

Dean rubbed his shin, her feet were quite sharp. "There, problem solved. Ugh, that's going to bruise..."

Ron appeared from the direction of the boy's dorms carrying a large basket filled with some of the left over deserts from dinner. Dean, Harry, and Seamus all helped themselves to it, Ron fruitlessly trying to bat their hands away.

"Hey. Stand out there for twenty minutes next time waiting for that overgrown bat to move." Ron took a large bite of triffle he had brought. "Who was that girl that opened the girl? I moved too fast to really pay attention to her face, but I heard her little comment." Harry pointed to the group of second years now calmly studying.

"She's the one with the large smile on her face." Ron nodded his head up and down, took out a slice of pumpkin pie and handed the, still incredibly full, basket to the second years.

The six years were a little bit amazed. He had to defend his decision. "She got my respect." They all had to agree, that and for Ron to give up food was a bit of an amazing thing, kind of like watching angels being born or Snape turning good. That stuff didn't happen to often, if ever.



OK, so maybe not so much action in this one, but I swear. Next chapter it picks up. The main storyline will be written out.

I already started work on chapter 5, though it is incomplete, I figure I can hold on to the releases and give myself more time to work. So expect weekly updates, until I run out or forget. I doubt it though. This one is pretty interesting, and I have to say of the stuff I normally write, this might end up being my favorite.

Its already seeming to come out like a real slice-of-life story, and I LOVE those.

Please read and review. Getting reviews in my email helps me remember to update. Even the stories I didn't get a review for.