A/N: Okay here's the 4th chapter. Last time I said something about Voldemort and the war. Umm, well, Voldemort never came back in this story...still using that as a precautionary thing. Harry is still famous for being "The Boy Who Lived". Sorry for the wait. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy it, R&R!!

Disclaimer: What I have previously disclaimed still holds firm.

Ch. 4 – The Incident

Hermione looked around the common room, bewilderment in her eyes. 'What is going on with Harry?' she thought. Then another thought occurred to her. 'Oh no… he's probably figured it out, and now I've scared him away. Our friendship is over! No… no, no. I'll just tell him. I hope he doesn't runaway from me. I really need him.' She got up and tore out of the common room after Harry.

"Harry, wait!" she called out. Hermione ran up the stairs to the head's tower and came to a stop at Harry's door. She knocked twice. "Harry?" she called. There was no answer—Harry had not heard her. Hermione mustered up the strength she needed for the things she was preparing to tell him. Boldly, she pushed open his door. "Harry, I nee—" She was stopped mid-sentence again by what met her sight. It was something she'd never expected.

"Aargh! HERMIONE!!!" Harry jumped up and quickly made to cover himself. He tripped over his Gryffindor bedspread in his haste. Finally succeeding to secure the blanket around his waist, he went and stood in the corner of his room farthest from where Hermione was standing. "What are you doing in here?!"

Hermione was temporarily paralyzed by what she saw. After a moment she regained her composure. "I-I'm s-sorry, Harry!" I didn't know what you were doing… I-I… you ran out so fast, I j-just wanted to m-make sure you were okay!" She stammered. Hermione was trying to avoid looking at Harry in his current state of undress. She was unsuccessful as her eyes kept flitting to Harry's quidditch-hardened abdomen. Hermione notice the outline of a nicely formed six-pack.

Her large cinnamon-hued eyes lingered for a moment before they traveled up to his sculpted chest and broad shoulders. 'Oh my…'she thought. 'No, no… stop it! Pull yourself together.' She tore her eyes away and let them drop. That had been a mistake for they landed on the blanket that was covering Harry's lower body. Just the thought that Harry was naked underneath it was enough to make Hermione faint, but she held on. Hermione, again, took notice of how fit Harry had become. She had already loved Harry, but seeing him like this… Hermione was alerted to a certain prickly feeling in her breast.

"HERMIONE! GET OUT!!" Harry yelled. Hermione was startled out of her reverie and promptly took off.

Breakfast was very quiet that next morning. It was quiet for the rest of the day and many to follow. Both Harry and Hermione were avoiding each other—only speaking when absolutely necessary. Ron noticed this and questioned Hermione about it after lunch one Saturday, a week later.

"Whatever do you mean, Ronald?" she snapped. "There's nothing going on between Harry and me… we're perfectly fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be in the library." And with that she parted, her bushy hair flying around her head.

"Fine!" Ron shouted back at her. He made his way out to the quidditch pitch as Harry had scheduled another practice.

"Oi! Harry!" Ron shouted as he saw Harry carrying out the quidditch trunk for that day's routine. "Harry!"

Harry put the trunk down and closed the distance between him and his ginger-haired friend. "What's up, Mate?" He asked, a slightly quizzical look upon his face.

"Harry…" Ron started slowly. "Harry… what's going on between you and Hermione? Why have you two been acting weird to each other all week?" Ron looked to his friend for the answer.

"I don't want to talk about it, Ron." Harry said with a certain finality to his that left no room for arguing. Harry was looking at Ron pleading with his eyes for his best friend to drop the subject.

"Oh… okay." Ron seemed to try for nonchalance but struggled with keeping the disappointment and hurt out of his voice. "I'll just go change, then." He turned to head for the boys' lockers.

"Ron, wait…" Harry called. He didn't see the small triumphant smile Ron had on his face as he had already turned his back to Harry. Ron hastily rearranged his face and turned back around.

"Yeah?" He said.

"Look…" Harry started. "Ron… last week, when we stayed behind from Hogsmeade, something happened…"

"W-What do you mean?" Ron wasn't very sure he liked where this was going. He had given up hope of ever being more than friends with Hermione—she'd expressly told him she wasn't interested after that fiasco with Lavender Brown—but, it was taking him a while to get over her.

Harry then proceeded to tell Ron everything that transpired that day—which, in actuality, wasn't much if you consider what it sounds like: the two friends had been studying, and Hermione had mistaken him for Crookshanks, her gingery cat. The situation would seem laughable but not for Hermione and Harry. Only they knew what had really happened, even if they weren't aware of what was happening between the two of them.

"So I rushed out of the common room." Harry picked up. "I didn't know she had followed me…"

"Yeah, and? Go on, mate." Ron had relaxed since Harry had started telling him. After all, the story was sort of boring.

"Well I had something to do in my dorm… alone." Harry was dreading the next part, but he'd already started telling. He had to finish. "And Hermione burst in and she caught me doing… d-doing…something p-private."

"Huh?" Ron scratched his head and stared at Harry quizzically. It wasn't until Harry threw him an incredulous look did he start to grasp what his friend had said. "OH!" Ron exclaimed. "You mean she caught you…y-you know—" Ron paused to make some sort of crude gesture with his hand. He lowered his voice and continued "—wankin' your man?"

Embarrassed, Harry nodded. "In the bluntest of terms, yes… She caught me 'wanking my man'— as you put it. I tried to hurry up and cover myself but I think the damage was done. I think I even yelled at her, as well."

"Well, it couldn't be that bad, mate!" Ron chortled. "It's not like you thinking of her!" As he said that Harry's face drained of color and flushed right back again. He shifted uncomfortably where he stood and stared at the grass under his feet.

"Harry…" Ron began, hesitantly. He was not sure he why needed to know. He only knew that he did. "You weren't thi—" Ron was cut off.

"I was…" Harry said nervously. "I w-was thinking of H-Hermione." He regretted it the moment he said it. Ron stood there, in shock. There wasn't much Harry could do. 'Why did I tell him that?!' Harry thought. 'Why? I knew he liked her as well…Now he probably hates me! Good one, Potter.' He added bitterly. "Ron?"

Harry gave Ron a little shake to snap him out of his daze. "Ron, are you okay, mate?"

"Y-yeah…" Ron said coming back down. " 'Course I'm okay… why wouldn't I be?"

"Well I, sort of, thought you would be mad at me…" Harry said slowly and cautiously. He had backed away a bit after releasing Ron. He was wary of Ron's temper, which could get as bad as his own. "You're not, are you?"

"Honestly Harry, I thought I would be, but I guess I'm not." Ron let his shoulders rise and fall. He leant closer to his friend. "Harry, do you, you know? Do you like her?"

Harry had known this question was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to answer. 'Oh, go on. He's your best mate. You've got to be honest with him.' He told himself. "I—yes, Ron. I like Hermione." He said. It was as easy as admitting it to himself. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

"Nah, I'm not mad." Ron replied. Then a thought occurred to him. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Are you mad?" Harry said. "Of course, not. I'm not going to make a fool of myself… she doesn't even feel the same way!"

"But—" Ron began, but he was stopped short.

"That is not for questioning." Harry said, in that final tone. "Let's get some practice in, Hufflepuff almost kicked our arses last game."

A/N: Hiya! Hope you liked it. I know it was shorter than the last chapter. Umm... review please? Also, I'm open to any suggestions. I'll try to have chapter 5 up by next week or a little after.