AN: I know it's taken me forever but this chapter just did not want to cooperate. I warn you know it is short and mostly ooey-gooey stuff with Harry and Hermione, hopefully the next chapter will be more of Bad Ass Harry pulverizing Ronald and or the First Task finally…Hope y'all don't get turn off of the story because of this chapter! Cheers! Oh and review please!

PS Once again I remind everyone that I am not Rowling and therefore do not own Harry, Hermione, Ronald, etc. etc. etc. but I do so love to play with them…

He Is Not One of Us

Chapter Five

"That little mudblood, I'll show her; thinks she's so smart. She'll think twice before she humiliates me again. I can just hear that mudblood moaning like the whore she is doing anything that bastard commands. She's mine, if she wants to play the slave, then fine she'll be a slave," Rom grumbled to himself as he made his way to the Hospital Wing. He still couldn't believe that his own family was on that Bastard and Mudblood's side. Couldn't they see it? He glared at the staircase as it suddenly moved him three corridors in the opposite direction of his destination. Kicking the stone step above him in his temper only caused him to hop with the shot of pain from his now broken toe, he glanced over at a shadow moving towards him. In a miraculous bit of thinking he realized he was now close to the corridor to take him to the Slytherin's Common Room. He quickly hobbled up the two steps and shrunk into the shadows behind a statue. His temper instantly flared higher as his once friend stepped into the flickering light of a torch. Ron started to lift his wand, a curse on the tip of his tongue when another voice from further up the corridor bounced off the stones and into his ears, causing him to stop. He glared at the professor coming towards them.

"Mr. Potter, it's nearly curfew," McGonagall stated; the sternness not quite reaching her voice or eyes as she stared at the youngest Champion. Harry lifted his head up as he slightly relaxed his grip on his wan; he had heard his idiot of a former friend cursing at the stairs then grumble as he went behind the statue.

"I was on my way back from a detention with Professor Snape, Ma'am," he answered as he continued to keep his wand at his side hidden from view of the redhead across from the hallway. He mentally snorted as he saw that shovel of a foot move. McGonagall nodded her head.

"Very well…Mr. Potter, is there anything you need assistance with? It seems I've not treated you as fairly a I had previously thought," the older witch finally added, catching Harry off guard completely. He never expected his Head of House to ever come to him like this. Giving himself a mental shake to clamp his mental walls, visually shutting his face off.

"No, Ma'am, I am fine. Though Weasley may need your assistance if he continues to hide in the shadows like a rat and attempt to curse me in the back when you leave," Harry answered turning his blank look to the exact statue where Ron hid. McGonagall snapped her attention to see the youngest male Weasley step out quickly shifting his wand in his pocket, a glare aimed at Harry.

"Explain yourself, Mr. Weasley, at once," McGonagall ordered curtly, she had never even seen the redhead, but she now saw the animosity between the two friends. The biting remarks from Snape in their meeting earlier coming back to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head at the reminder that she had been so blind for so long, only seeing James and Lily instead of Harry.

"I was just heading to see Madam Pompfrey; I, uh, fell and may have br-broken my arm," Ron stammered as his Head of House's stern glare was turned onto him, he gulped as the woman narrowed her gaze.

"The Hospital Wing is on the other side of the castle, Mr. Weasley,"

"Well, yeah but the staircase changed just as I reached the top of it," Ron added. McGonagall continued to stare at the redhead before finally coming to a conclusion of her own.

"Very well, then I shall escort you to Madam Pompfrey's. Mr. Potter, will you be alright in reaching the dorm in time?"

"I'll be fine, Professor," Harry answered finally glancing away from Ron. He was only slightly caught of guard with the revelation that she didn't even know that he hadn't been inside the Gryffindor Tower since the week after Halloween. McGonagall nodded before turning away keeping Ron in front of her as they started back along the staircases, Ron's grating voice complaining the whole time.

Harry shook his head as he finally relaxed enough to slip his wand up his sleeve into the holster Sirius had sent him for his birthday. He let out a breath of air as he started making his way to the Seventh floor and to his bed; this had just been one long day. Thankfully he didn't run into anyone else on the way up. After pacing the bit of hallway three times, he finally completely relaxed his tense body and mind as he stepped into his small sanctuary. The sweet smell of pears and vanilla brought him up short instantly, surely after all this time her scent would have dissipated. He glanced around seeing the extra trunk next to his, a soft purring and the brush against his ankle had him looking down to the squashed face and patchy orange-yellow furred cat that could only be the familiar to Hermione. He took another closer look at the room to see a few subtle differences that he had missed in the first glance, and there was now a touch of dark blue added to the accents and a more feminine touch in flowers in the middles of the table. An extra chair was aimed at the fireplace and a second bed was across from his with blue and red striped curtains opened to show that it was empty. The swish of Crookshank's tail disappearing around the couch told him that he would hind his answer there. He stopped short at the sight of his friend curled up asleep a small frown crinkling her face slightly. He knelt down in front of her gently brushing a lock of her hair away from trying to hide her face and a small grin lifted his lips as she twitched her nose as a few hairs tickled it. Taking a second to look over her to make sure she was alright, he was soon mesmerized by the sight of her white shirt and skirt hugging her curves. Covering everything but still revealing the flat stomach that was just under the steady rising and falling swell of breasts that were attempting to burst from the confines of her plain white shirt of her uniform. Slowly, his gaze lowered to the smooth tone legs of walking and climbing staircases constantly to the petite bare feet trying to hide under one of the red pillows, trying to find a bit of extra warmth. He silently stood straight as his mind went over the pitiful excuse that Ron gave to be out in the corridors so late; the brush against his ankles brought attention once more the kneazle mix that had never gotten along with that particular redhead since the beginning. Bending down, he lifted the cat up in one arm while scratching under the squashed face then around to the back of an ear, deep purring rumbling from the animal. Harry shook his head as a small smirk lifted his mouth.

"So, how bad was it?" he muttered quietly gaining a low growl of a meow in answer that vanished the smirk instantly and put a vicious gleam of promised pain for the former friend and idiot. He gently lowered the cat back down where he flicked his bottle-brush tail and hopped up onto the red and blue draped bed. Harry rolled his eyes but they never quite lost the gleam of repressed rage. He looked back over Hermione this time searching for any mark, bruise, or scratch but gave up with a soft sigh. Carefully, he picked her up to carry her to her bed; he laid her down then with a flick of his wand her school uniform was switched for a pair of shorts and tank top. The smirk returned to his face at the girl's choice of pajamas, unfortunately, it didn't last as four dark bruises showed brightly against Hermione's pale forearm. His hands fisted at his sides, his magic flaring around him unknowingly waking his friend up, the sleepy murmur calmed him slightly but not completely.

"Go back to sleep, Mi. you're safe now," Harry whispered with a gentle brush of the back of his fingers across her cheek, he watched the small smile lighten her face as her eyes fluttered open to lock with his turbulent green ones. The smile stayed put as she reached up to take hold of his hand.

"Don't Harry; I'm fine. He came out worse in the ordeal," she murmured; Harry turned his gaze away as his temper flared once more. The gentle touch of fingertips pulling his chin back towards her was forcing him to face the sleepy but knowing brown eyes.

"Promise me that you won't go looking for him; that you will let me take care of him. He isn't worth you getting sent to Azkaban, I'm not worth it," she pleaded as she slid closer to the edge of the bed. Harry squeezed her hands as he slowly slid down to knell between her smooth legs, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I won't promise to the first because I already know where he is, but I will let you take care of him this time. If he ever hurts you again I will kill him, Hermione, you are worth everything," he pledged his eyes boring wholes into Hermione's eyes. She let out a soft sigh as her sleepiness began to overtake her once more.

"I'll argue with you in the morning, Harry, just so you know I'm a light sleeper don't even try to get to him during the night," she muttered smiling at him sleepily, causing Harry to snort as he got up from the floor while she slipped under her covers. Harry shook his head at her as she instantly fell back to sleep curling up on her side facing his bed with Crookshanks purring loudly as he picked at the covers then promptly plopping down in the crook of Hermione's stomach, his bright yellow eyes gleaming in the flickering firelight.

"Alright, I know when I'm not wanted anymore. Goodnight, Mi," he mumbled scratching the cat's ears then brushing a lock of Hermione's hair from her face once more.

"Goodnight, Harry," she returned in her sleep. Harry rolled his eyes but a small smile returned to his face. He turned back to his bed striping down to his black boxers and crawled into it, a soft rumbled and flap of feathers letting him know that Hedwig had in her infinite wisdom somehow returned to their little haven.

"Night Hedwig," he yawned and fell instantly into a comforting sleep as his owl's soft rumble, Crookshank's purring, and Hermione's steady breathing feeling him with a sense of home that hadn't let himself feel for quite some time.