Chapter 21 – Bad to Worse

Hermione woke early the next morning. She found Harry drooling on the sofa beside the fireplace.

She walked over and shook him.

"Harry," she had to repeat this a few more times but he finally did open his eyes.

He yawned and wiped the drool of his face. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before sitting down on the arm of the sofa.

"What'd you want help with?" she questioned as he put on his glasses.

"Well I was thinking, that we need to ensure that Ron doesn't find out you're a girl."

Hermione rolled her eyes at this.

"And this is why you told me to meet here at six in the morning?" Hermione yawned.

Harry looked up at her.

"There is a possibility that he could find out," Harry reached into his cloak and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"Why is that?" Hermione asked her eyes dropping slightly, she hardly thought blank parchment was going to cause her too much trouble.

"This," He held his hand out to her and Hermione took the paper off him, "Is a map to the school."

Hermione unfolded the paper and examined it.

"But, it's blank," she replied slightly irritated now and it didn't help that she was still half asleep.

"Watch," Harry began to explain taking the parchment off her and placing it on the coffee table, "I solemly swear that I am up to no good."

Hermione raised her eyesbrows at Harry's words but watched as he touched the tip of his wand the parchment.

"What was that?" Hermione gasped leaning forward.

It looked like an ink stain at first but the black dot had slowly begun to spread out across the page.

Harry looked up at her with an amused expression.

"What on earth?" Hermione said in disbelief, "that's – but – no it couldn't be - is that?"

Harry laughed at her reaction.

"That's Dumbledore alright, and that," he pointed to the top of the page, "is us."

Hermione leaned forward and sure enough two little dots with their names floating above them could be seen.

"This is brilliant," Hermione said excitedly, "did you make it?"

"No," Hermione saw Harry frown before he quickly continued, "Fred and George gave it to us."

"Us?"

"Well Ron, and Neville both know about it."

"But…that would mean – oh," Hermione stood from her seat on the arm rest and looked at Harry, "You don't think he knows do you?"

"No, I don't think so," Harry replied thoughtfully, "Look here."

Harry pointed to the map again and Hermione noticed Ginny's name floating above a dot in the girls dormitory.

"Oh, so it doesn't distinguish between Hogwarts girls and boys? Well that's a relief," Hermione paused, "I'm surprised you knew where Ginny was."

Harry looked startled but quickly recovered.

"It gets easier to spot people you know," he looked away from her and back at the map, "The only thing is, Ron may still be able to find out that you're disguising as John. I had a look when you were still under the effects of the potion and the map still labeled you as 'Hermione'."

Hermione felt suddenly cold and shifted closer to the fire and sat down on the rug.

"What's more, both Ron and I own these watches," Harry handed her his watch.

"What a peculiar watch," she mused picking it up.

"Look," Harry pressed a button on the side of the face and her name suddenly appeared on the face.

"How'd you do that?"

"I'm not quite sure how it works, Ron was the brains behind it and I don't think he even remembers how he did it. But anyway, it sorta transfers the map into a portable version which we can carry around. Except," Harry paused and took the watch off Hermione, "We can only focus on where certain people are, so if I wanted to find Ginny then I would need to just tap the map," Harry took out his wand and tapped the little dot that was labeled Ginny, "And then tap my watch."

"Here press the button again," Harry said handing her back the watch.

Hermione did as he said and the face suddenly changed from her name to Ginny's name and indicated that she was currently in the Girls dormitory.

"That's amazing," Hermione said in awe.

"Don't get too excited, you're forgetting that Ron has this watch too."

"Oh yeah," Hermione mused, "So how do we change my name to John when I'm a guy?"

"We can't, the map can't lie."

Hermione looked at Harry horrified.

"But don't panic," he added quickly, "I found a way for us to block the magic being transferred from the map to the watch."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding.

"The only thing is we need to get Ron's watch," Harry sighed, "And he guards that with his life."

Hermione furrowed her brow.

"I think we can figure something out."

"Shh, Ron's coming," Harry whispered, "Mischief managed."

Hermione saw Harry tap the map and the ink instantly disappeared.

"What are you two doing up so early?" Ron questioned suspiciously still dressed in his pajamas.

"Couldn't sleep," Hermione lied.

She saw Ron frown at her and she quickly diverted her eyes in case he was able to see through her lie.

"How bout we head down to breakfast," Harry said cheerily, "We'll see you down in the Great Hall."

Harry led Hermione out of the common room and away from Ron's piercing gaze.

Eleven-thirty.

'Where is she?' Ron wondered running a hand through his hair.

He stretched and stood up from his desk.

It had been like this for the last few days. She wasn't avoiding him exactly, they just seemed to always miss each other – in both senses of the word.

He would rush back to their room after class just to see her dissaper off to wherever it is she goes, sometimes back to Hogwarts Girls, sometimes the library but never with him.

Ron yawned and quickly changed into his pajama's. He supposed that this was normal – they were getting a lot of homework lately.

He buttoned up his pajama top, his eyes every now and then flicking to the door.

That was another thing that was bothering him. Hermione and Harry had been acting much friendlier towards each other lately.

That had driven him insane. Harry was acting as though it were perfectly normal for him to be spending time with Hermione, especially when a few weeks ago he was raving on about how Hermione must have been Voldermort in disguise.

Ron slumped down in his bed and clenched his fists.

Did Harry like John?

The door suddenly opened and Hermione swept in. She wasn't alone.

"Oh, Ron you're still awake," she said dumping her bag beside her bed.

"Practice was horrendous," Harry complained walking over and sitting on Hermione's bed.

Ron gritted his teeth at the sight and quickly looked away to suppress the bile he felt rising up his throat.

"Where is it – " John mumbled flipping through some notes.

"This you're mum?" Harry questioned and Ron heard the scraping sound of a picture frame being picked up.

"Yep," Hermione said cheerily, "Here it is."

"Oh right, thanks Hermione, this phot-"

"What did you just say?" Ron said spinning around so quick his neck hurt.

"Well just saying – why don't you have any pictures of Hermione," Harry finished looking at Ron strangely.

Ron shook his head in annoyance.

'Paranoid you are,' he told himself before laying down in his bed.

"Yeah I do," Hermione replied, and Ron heard her pick up another picture frame.

"Oh yeah, must have missed it," Harry replied.

Ron flicked his wand and the curtains around his bed closed loudly. He quickly cast a silencing charm, he couldn't listen to them anymore.

Hermione saw Ron's curtains close and she instantly turned and hit Harry.

He mouthed his apology, looking shame-faced.

"It's harder than I thought to keep this secret," He whispered to her as he returned the pictures to her desk.

"You're telling me," she sighed.

"Looks like he wore it to bed," she whispered, "I'll try tomorrow when he's in the shower."

Harry smirked at this.

"Shut up," she said just as he opened his mouth.

Harry laughed instead.

"Well, I better go. I'll see you tomorrow," Harry waved just before he left the room.

Hermione cleaned her table and packed her bag for tomorrow's classes. She was looking through her Ancient Runes notes when she looked across at Ron's curtains.

Before she had realised that she had even moved she was standing in front of his curtains, her hand outstretched.

"Goodnight Ron," she whispered before walking back to her desk.

Ron sighed heavily as he walked over to his desk. His watch sparkled up at him. It had stopped working. He remembered how he was in a complete panic when he checked his watch Sunday morning only to discover that he couldn't locate Hermione. Nothing. When he pressed the buttons on his watch the face made a strange whizzing sound before changing to an inky black color. He almost had a heart attack and went running out of the dorm room half dressed only to discover Hermione talking to Harry at the bottom of the stairs.

While Harry was examining his watch he also questioned Harry about his new friendship with John, Harry had shrugged, before saying that he would see if he could fix the watch.

He resisted the urge to look up when he heard Hermione enter the room, his heart did a slight flip when he didn't hear Harry's voice, they seemed joined at the hip lately.

John walked past him towards the shower and Ron grit his teeth and willed himself to say something – anything.

"Wannastudylater?" Ron blurted incoherently.

John halted in his step and turned to look at the flustered Ron.

"Sorry? Didn't catch that."

Ron gulped far too audibly and tried again this time with breathing involved.

"Did you want to study later?" his eyes glued the floor.

"Sure."

Ron's head snapped up and he had to rub his neck from the pain.

"Really? Well how does five-thirty sound?"

"Perfect," John smiled, "I'll meet you in the library."

"Okay," Ron replied not caring that he was grinning like an idiot.

"What subject?"

"Huh?"

"To study?" John laughed.

"Oh well – um…we have that charms essay due next week."

"Sounds good," John replied before turning and walking back into the bathroom.

Ron pulled at his hair and resisted the urge to jump for joy. Finally he would have a chance to spend time with Hermione without Harry around. If he was lucky he might even bring up the topic of Hogsmead again.

Ron rushed to his desk and piled all his charms notes and textbooks into his bag before practically skipping out of the room – only he didn't skip – guys didn't skip.

Ginny stared at the glob of brown mixture in her bowl. Her mixing spoon long since discarded in its futile attempt to move in the horrible mixture of what was supposed to be flour and chocolate and several other items. There was a whole egg somewhere in there Ginny was sure she had thrown it at some point to appear as though she were paying attention to her professor rather than being bored out of her brains.

Ginny looked up from her bowl and wondered if the girls in her class felt the same as she did. She liked chocolate as much as the next sane girl but seriously, there was only so much you could take. Surely she was not alone in thinking that this was a horrible waste of time. Right now she was sure that Harry, Ron and Hermione were in Defence against the Dark Arts or something equally as exciting, yet here she was.

Apparently she was alone however. Ginny saw nothing but happy faces and giggling gossiping girls around her. What they were gossiping about she neither knew nor cared – but she didn't need to be a Seer to know who had started it. The local Gossip Queen, Lavender Brown.

Ginny tipped the bowl of brown goo into the baking tin and closed the oven with an unenthusiastic crash.

That thought however did bring a smile to her lips. She pulled her wand out and tapped it thoughtfully on the table.

'Lavender Brown. Time to pay you back I think.'

Lavender hastily ran into the nearest girl's toilet. She checked the stalls were empty and locked to doors so no one could come in.

She tipped out the contents of her bag into the sink.

"Where is it?!" she cried wiping her dirty hands on her skirt.

Lipstick. Eyeliner. Perfume and a few notebooks but no wand.

Lavender screamed in frustration.

She twisted the rusted taps on and scrubbed her fingers till they hurt. Her vision blurred as tears fell down her face.

She heard the laughter surround her once more.

She scooped some of the icy cold water and washed her face.

It was no use. The gooey substance stuck to her skin and she could see blood dripping from her fingernails.

She reluctantly looked up at the mirror. At the horrible mess she was in.

She didn't know why Peeves had targeted her out of all the girls.

She had just finished hiding her sketchbook behind one of the wobbly bricks of one of the empty courtyards that no one ever visited and she was on her way back to the common room. She was always careful to make sure no one saw what she was doing. The last thing she needed was for people to laugh at her attempts to draw.

She sighed hating herself for being such a coward. She turned the corner and found herself in the crowded entryway to the Great Hall. She was just about to make her way up the stairs when she saw Peeves fly above her. She like so many around her looked up at the poltergeist as he zigzagged above them with his hands full of what looked like chocolate cake.

Lavender rolled her eyes and continued up the stairs. Just as she reached the top step she felt something heavy land on her head and she tripped back a few paces, she quickly grabbed the handrail to stop herself falling the rest of the way down the stairs.

Just as she was thanking Merlin for sparing her life she heard it. The most horrible sound in the world.

Laughter. Laughter directed at her.

Lavender turned around to a sea of faces laughing at her. She saw peeves holding his stomach from laughter and blowing raspberries at her.

With shaking hands she reached up and pulled the brown gunk from her hair.

Her breathing quickened.

'Don't panic. Don't panic!' she had told herself.

The last thing she needed was another panic attack. Instead she turned and ran, ran far away from the horrible laughter, all the while trying to stop the tears streaming down her face.

Lavender scooped large handfuls of water on top of her head in hopes of loosening the horrible gunk from her hair but it was useless.

She screamed in frustration.

She was pretty. She was pretty. She was pretty damn it!

Lavender fell to the ground and sobbed.

'It's all I have that's worth anything.'

"Well this sucks," Ron said to himself as Madame Pince shooed him out of the library.

He had spent the last few hours waiting for Hermione in the library. He had spent the first hour wondering if he should go look for her but since he could no longer keep a track of her with his watch if he left he would risk missing her and she would think he ditched on her.

So after Madam Pince glared at him he took a seat at the desk most visible from the front door and waited.

The second hour he finished his Charms essay.

The third hour he drew in his sketchbook and wondered again whether he should go look for Hermione.

The fourth hour he seriously considered sending a patronus to Harry and searching the school for Hermione.

The fifth hour he slowly walked back to Gryffindor Common room and that's where he saw it.

Harry and Hermione feeding Buckbeak near Hagrid's hut. Ron gripped his notebook so tightly in his hand that he felt the paper cut into his hands.

John was laughing – he looked so happy.

Ron turned and walked back into the library.

He had some more studying to do.

Lavender heard someone knocking on the door.

"Can I come in?"

Lavender took a deep breathe before opening the door.

"You dropped this," A red haired girl said.

Lavender looked down and her heart lifted.

"My wand! You found it!" She hugged the girl and took the wand from her hand.

Lavender quickly removed the strange substance from her hair.

"Thank you so much!" she said truely grateful to the young girl.

The girl frowned at her.

"It doesn't feel nice does it," the red-haired girl said to her.

"Yeah it was really gross, at first I thought it was cake but it wouldn't come off no matter how hard I washed," Lavender explained with a smile still plastered to her face.

"I meant people laughing at you," the girl replied.

"No, no it doesn't," she sobered at the thought.

"Well maybe you should remember that next time you start rumours about people," with that the girl spun around and dissapered.

Lavender simply gaped at her.

Hermione wiped her hands on her cloak.

"Next time Hagrid asks us down to tea we make sure he means tea and not helping him feed buckbeak."

Harry chuckled.

"Come on, who else will he hang out with but us?"

"I hope you mean Hagrid, because if you still think you're gonna get me on Buckbeak you are seriously deluded."

"So you and Ron are going to Hogsmeade huh? Just no more snogging as guys alright – the picture of Ron snogging anyone is disturbing enough already without adding your craziness to the mix."

"It's getting pretty close isn't it, I still can't believe we're going on a proper date."

"Yeah me neither, who would have thought that Ron would have a girlfriend before me."

"Check your ego before entering the Gryffindor common room Potter," Hermione rolled her eyes before walking scrambling into the common room.

"Hi guys," Harry greeted as they entered the common room to find Neville and Ron playing chess.

"Hi," Neville replied shooting a wary glance at Ron.

"Hey," Ron replied concentrating on his next move, "Ah-ha, checkmate!"

"What?! No," Neville groaned.

"You can't beat the master," Ron said arrogantly stretching his limbs, "Well I'm off to bed."

The next moment Ron grabbed his bag and ascended the stairs to the dorm.

"Up for another game?" Harry questioned Neville sitting down on the sofa that Ron had just vacated.

"No, that's alright," Neville replied.

"Neville," Hermione looked at her friend curiously, "Is something wrong? You seem distant all of a sudden."

"I'm distant?" Neville shook his head at this before looking at Hermione in disbelief, "How was your study session?"

Without another word Neville stood up and left them alone in the common room.

"What was that about?" Harry wondered aloud before leaning back into his chair.

Hermione gasped.

"I was supposed to meet Ron at five-thirty for a study session," she bit her lip, "I completely forgot."

"Well I don't think Ron is that cut up about missing out on studying," Harry laughed.

"I better go apologise just in case."

"Okay, but I'm telling you he won't care," Harry said before yawning.

Hermione found Ron in the bathroom brushing his teeth.

"Do you hate me?"

"Why?" he asked after rinsing his mouth.

"Well," Hermione said as she followed him out of the bathroom, "I totally spaced on our study session earlier."

"Oh that," Ron replied as he changed into his pajamas.

After a moment silence Hermione continued.

"So you're not angry?" she questioned his back which was now facing her.

"Nah, forget it, I just wanted your notes for Charms but you know, you had better things to do."

"No, I didn't I just…forgot," she finished lamely feeling incredibly guilty.

What was wrong with her? She really liked this guy – how could she forget that she had promised to spend time with him.

"Listen don't worry about it I finished the essay so it's no big deal," Ron turned around and had his usual lop-sided grin on his face.

"Well okay," she answered slowly, "I'm glad you're not upset."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah," she answered somewhat surprised at his brisk attitude.

"Well I'm going to bed," without another word Ron hopped into his bed and closed the curtains.

"Night," Hermione replied.

AN: Yes I'm alive. I know I disappeared for a bit but don't worry I'm back now. But it wasn't easy to stop writing for the past month. Here's a snippet of what was going on in my head:

Kami: (must study)

Ron: (is bored)

Hermione: (is reading)

Ron: For merlin's sake, can't you just write one more chapter – you didn't give me anything decent last chapter!

Hermione: Ron! She's studying for exams!

Ron: So? You can't study all the time, you'd go crazy.

Hermione: And I suppose you'd have her gallivanting around and playing Quidditch.

Ron: First of all 'gallivanting'? you need to get out more 'Mione, and second of all, of course I don't expect her to play Quidditch.

Hermione: Well, that's something at least.

Ron: She's a muggle, she couldn't play even if she wanted to.

Hermione: Argh! You are so infuriating. She is trying to study and you are just being completely selfish.

Ron: I am not! I hardly got any lines in the last few chapters.

Hermione: She makes you shut up – that's why I like her.

Ron: Funny.

Hermione: Yes, it happens occasionally when you're not infuriating me.

Kami: (cries)

Ron: Well fine! Like I want to snog you more than I have to!

Hermione: Oh you big fat jerk-jerkity jerk head.

Ron: Oh very clever. Smartest witch of our age my arse.

Kami: (hits head on desk – repeatedly)

Hermione: (throws book at Ron - accidently hits Kami instead)

Kami: (falls over)

Ron: Oh now you've done it – she's never gonna get us together after this.

Hermione: Is that all you think about…is that blood?

Ron: Err…(poke)

Kami: (dead)

Harry: (looks at Kami) I know exactly how you feel (collapses)

AN: See what I had to put up with. So don't think you guys were alone in wanting me to finish this fic XD. Also, I'm still quite brain-dead from exams so please forgive any errors but I hope its still enjoyable.