To hogwartsgal15- who wanted her very own chapter! ;)

Chapter Twelve

Sudden Storms

Hermione yawned and stretched. She glanced around. Ron sat a few feet away, picking at blades of grass. She smiled at him.

"You can go in, you know."

He grinned at her. "And miss all this excitement? Wouldn't miss it for the world."

She leaned over and kissed him. "Seriously. I'm just working on this paper. I know it's boring for you."

"But what would I do with out you?" He asked, ruffling her hair.

She smirked. "You could practice Quidditch. You and Draco could hang out, and talk."

Ron smiled. "Thanks love."

She kissed him again then watched him leave. A smiled played about her lips and she returned to her paper.

She was sitting in her favorite spot on the lawn. She was about twenty yards away from the Whomping Willow. Far enough to stay out of the branches reaches but close enough to be in its shade on a hot day.

She leaned back against the small rock out crop behind her and drew her paper into her lap.

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and concentrated on the essay. It only had to be three feet, but as usual, she was approaching five. It was for Potions. The class was among her least favorite classes, but she loved the actual subject matter. If only Snape wasn't such a jerk. He was nicer to her than most students, but even so he had a natural mean streak and could be quite hurtful when he wanted to.

Ginny never let things like that get to her. She would shrug it off and stare you down. During her first year, she had been shy and uncertain of things. But as time passed, she became more and more comfortable with Draco and Hermione. Now she was a fierce advocate for her friends. Hermione knew she would do anything for them.

Hermione wished she could be more stoic like GInny. But the truth of the matter was, Hermione cared what people thought of her. SHe wanted them to like her. And she wanted to like them. When she didn't like some one, it bothered her almost as much as when people didn't like her.

As a general rule, Hermione was well liked. She was smart and pretty. Students would ask her for help, which she readily gave.

Hermione wondered if the new teacher liked her.

She pulled herself from her thoughts as a drop of rain hit the parchment in her lap. She glanced around. It was raining pretty lightly but she knew it was a good quarter of a mile to the school. Better to wait it out in the shrieking shack.

Despite her original reservations about it, Hermione liked the Shack. It was a comfortable place. Well, after she and GInny had gone through with a handful of Transfiguration spells. The walls still needed to be painted and the floors needed some refinishing, but they kept it well stocked. Remus no longer needed the Shack, as Tonks often pointed out. They kept a cage in the basement of their small house they had bought a few months ago. Once the two had admitted their feelings, they were inseparble. Hermione had to wonder if they knew that most of the house had been paid for by Narcissa and Sirius.

Hermione hefted a stone easily and tossed it expertly. It hit the knot, freezing the tree. She walked in calmly.

"Hey!"

Hermione turned to see Daisuke Niwa rushing towards her.

"What are you doing out here? It's about to storm."

Hermione smiled easily. "I know. I was going for a little walk."

"Under the tree?" He asked skeptically.

She turned from him and slid down into tunnel below. "You can come too." She called up.

After a moment, she heard him sigh and came down. Hermione led him a short way in then stopped. She didn't know why, but she didn't want him to go all the way.

"Where does this lead?" He asked, tossing his hair out of his face.

"No where. The tunnel collapsed a few years ago. But it's dry and warm."