I'm Here When You Need Me- Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. That should be blatantly obvious.

A/N: I hope that this one goes over better than my last chapter did...

Harry caught her staring, and smiled. She came out of her thoughts, and smiled back. Then he did something Sarah had been hoping for, for over a year.

"Do you want to come with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really," he said.

"I would love to, Harry," Sarah said sweetly.

"Good. I will meet you here, tomorrow morning, then,"

"Absolutely."

Sarah then walked to her dorm feeling like she was floating on air. Hermione looked thrilled. Ron looked pleased, albeit a bit jealous.

Sarah walked up to the girls' dormitory with Hermione at her heels. She knew that Hermione would want to talk about Harry, her nasty breakup, and why Ron was looking jealous. This would be one of those times that they stayed up late into the night giggling like first years.

"Why do you think Ron looked jealous? I didn't think he liked anyone," Hermione said, confused.

"I don't think so. I actually think he likes you Herm," Sarah sniggered.

Hermione turned a violent shade of red, with a disbelieving look on her face.

"How can you tell?"

"Well, I've noticed that what you described Harry doing around me, Ron does to you. It is really cute. He blushes at the mere sight of you. When he stares at you for a while, then he shakes his head, like he is trying to get you out of his mind, but can't. When he would see me and Malfoy kiss or hold hands, I think he was looking disgruntled because he wanted to do the same with you. I have also noticed that you seem to fancy him also."

If it were possible, Hermione got even redder.

"Well, if you must know, I do. Please don't say anything," she pleaded.

"I won't, but it will be difficult for you two when Harry and I want to be alone. What will you do?" Sarah asked in mock puzzlement.

Hermione threw a pillow at her. Sarah blocked it with a Shield Charm. After a small pillow fight, the girls decided to go to bed. Sarah dreamed of Harry and her first date with him.

The next day, Sarah got up relatively early and took a shower. She took extra care getting ready. She picked out a V-neck, light pink cashmere sweater with a white dress shirt underneath, boot-cut dark wash jeans, and pointy-toed black high heels. She put on diamond earrings that her parents gave her for Christmas that past year, and a tennis bracelet she inherited from her grandmother. She magically straightened her hair so that it was totally smooth and frizz free. Sarah also magically put her makeup on; she had never been good at applying it herself. After spraying on her favorite perfume she had bought at a muggle shop, she then walked to the common room.

There were lots of people in the common room waiting to go to town. When Sarah walked in, all eyes were on her; girls with jealousy and boys with longing. Then, looking up with everyone else, Harry managed to mouth "wow," and got up off the couch to meet her at the stairs.

"You look amazing," he said, still in admiration. Sarah blushed.

"Thank you, Harry. You look handsome," she said looking at him.

It was now Harry's turn to blush. "Thanks."

"Why don't we go to breakfast? It is starting to get uncomfortable in here," Sarah said looking around.

Indeed the room began to tense. Some of the many couples that were in the room were starting to argue. Some of the boys had been staring at Sarah, and their girlfriends weren't taking too kindly to it. Harry offered her his arm, and she accepted it. Together they walked out of the common room to the Great Hall.

Once there, Sarah got even more stares, but she could feel one pair of eyes in particular. Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy looked at her with desire, which he quickly masked as hatred when Sarah turned to look at him. He had to admit to himself that he had screwed up. If he could control his urges, Sarah would be by his side, not Harry's. He resolved to try and get her back. Sarah looked at him with pure loathing that said exactly what her feelings toward him were. Sarah then sat next to Harry and faced him instead.

"I'm really glad you asked me out for today, Harry."

"Me too. I have been wanting to for a long time, actually."

They then quickly ate and went to the Entrance Hall, waiting to be cleared by Filch. Once outside, conversation was easy. They talked of what else, but Quidditch. That topic got them to town. Knowing that most girls liked to go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, he headed in that direction. Sarah stopped him though.

"Where are you going?" she asked intrigued.

"Madam Puddifoot's," he said with slight displeasure.

"Why? Don't you want to go to Zonko's Joke Shop?" she asked.

Harry looked stunned. "Sure I do, but I thought you would have wanted to go to Madam Puddifoot's."

"Ugh. I hate that place. It's full of sappy couples ogling at each other, making kissy noises, and trying to out do everyone else at snogging. It is so gross, and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Plus, its way too overpriced."

At this point, Harry had a huge smile on his face, and was to the point of bursting with suppressed laughter.

"If you hate the place, how come you know so much about it?"

"Davies dragged me there about ten times," she said with a slight grin on her face.

"Why didn't you tell him that you hated it?"

"I did. That's why he dragged me," Sarah laughed at the memory.

Harry actually was laughing at this point. "That's horrible!"

"I know. So, Zonko's then?"

"Of course," Harry said smiling at her.

Sarah took Harry's hand in hers, weaving her fingers with his. This took Harry by surprise at first, and then he was entirely pleased. They walked to the shop, occasionally stopping to look at window displays. When they got to Zonko's, they saw that Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordon were already inside. Harry stopped before they entered, and asked her if it would be okay if she meets some of his friends. She had heard of the three of them, and desperately wanted to meet them. Harry smiled and led her to them.

"Guys, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Fred, George, and Lee."

"Hi, nice to meet you all," Sarah said as she stuck out her hand.

Ignoring her hand, Fred hugged her. This was a shock to Sarah. She would have figured that they would hate her just for dating Malfoy. On the contrary, it looked to her as if he thought she were the coolest person he had ever met.

"I just want to say that I heard about what happened last night, and I think you were incredible. George and Lee think so too," he said indicating the others.

They were both nodding and smiling.

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm just ashamed to say that I hadn't seen it in him sooner. I mean, I spent a whole month with that bloody jackass!"

The four guys laughed, but all the third years that were around them, because of her choice of words, looked like she had hit their mothers.

Harry and Sarah spent the afternoon looking in various shops, occasionally going in to purchase. They held hands the whole time, and Sarah felt like she was in a blissful dream. But, like dreams, their fairytale had to come to an end.

"Sarah, you're looking particularly delicious today," someone sneered.

Harry and Sarah both turned around angrily, to come face to face with Malfoy and his pack of bodyguards. Harry gripped Sarah's hand tighter as he pulled her behind him. With his other hand, he took out his wand from his pocket. Malfoy only snickered.

"Always the protector, aren't we Potter?"

"Unlike you, who needs to be protected," Sarah cut in, stepping out from behind Harry, also taking out her wand.

Harry looked at her silently telling her he would handle it, but she shook her head, telling him this was her problem to deal with.

"Kitty's got claws. How about you show me some of your other hidden talents?"

"You've seen all you are going to of me, Malfoy. And you seem to have forgotten my little promise, haven't you?" Sarah said with a simper.

Malfoy looked a little panicky. He had forgotten, and by the look of him, he couldn't quite come up with a fast enough explanation to cover. Sarah could tell by the look in his eyes. It was pleading. Sarah didn't want to relinquish this juicy piece of information too soon; after all, it had only been half a day, so she decided not to say it.

"You're lucky that I'm in good mood Malfoy, because you just used your only get-out-of-jail-free card. You can bet the next time you talk to me or any of my friends, I won't be so nice. Come on Harry," she said grabbing his hand again and pulled him away from the Slytherins, who all looked dumbfounded at their leader's lack of action.

"Whatever you're holding over him must be really embarrassing, because he didn't say a word," said an astonished Harry.

"Girl power," Sarah said, a little bitterness creeping in her voice. "Three Broomsticks, then?"

"I'd go anywhere with you," Harry said stopping in the middle of the street, pulling her to him.

Oh my gosh, is he doing what I think he is? Sarah thought, softening her expression.

"You're wonderful," Harry said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Sarah put her arms around his neck, looking into his beautiful eyes.

"So are you, Harry," she said.

Harry slid his hands up her back, finally placing them on her face, brushing back loose strands of hair. He placed his hands on her cheeks, pulling her toward him as he leaned down, lightly touching his lips to hers. Sarah returned the kiss, deepening it.

"Oi, get a room," came Ron's voice.

The couple pulled away from each other, rather reluctantly. Ron, Hermione, the twins, Ginny, and Lee were walking toward them, all with smirks on their faces. Harry and Sarah glanced at each other, blushing slightly.

"We were going to the Three Broomsticks. Would you two like to join us?" Hermione asked.

"We were just heading over there ourselves," Harry said rather sheepishly.

"That's what it looked like to us," Fred grinned.

The rest of the afternoon went without incident, and Harry and Sarah got even closer. For some reason, this just felt right to her, like they were meant to be together.

Nothing, not even Malfoy, is going to ruin this for me, Sarah said to herself.

Harry saw that Sarah was daydreaming. He kissed her, bringing her out of her thoughts. She smiled, and he returned it. All of a sudden, he got up.

"I will be right back. Stay here. I will only be a few minutes," he said to her. Then he left.

"Where is he going?" Ginny asked, only to have her question answered with a confused look from Sarah.

"I have no idea. He said to stay here, and that he would be back in a few minutes."

"He probably went to the toilet," Ron said simply.

Hermione didn't think that that was proper table etiquette, so she playfully hit him on the arm. Ron said "Ow," then grinned to himself for reasons unknown to the others. Minutes later, Harry retuned with a small gift bag. Sarah looked at him curiously.

"What's in the bag?"

"You'll have to wait and see," teased Harry.

"Look at Mr. Secrecy over there," said Lee, with a grin.