Chapter 14! Year 5. Love sucks. Lauren and Harry go on a date!

It's not what you think, or maybe it is. XD I can't read your minds. Anyway, this was fun to write. It's just a little happy blurb to throw in there, some more character interaction and friendship.

Big thanks to PandaWong, SandyLovesKittens, XenaHades, nightworldangel, FonzFan, The Yoshinator, Isa'ralia Faradien, Lost Astronaut Of Apollo 11, Readergirl99 and DrainaPurpurne2412 as always. Hope you all and random readers everywhere can enjoy~

Chapter 14 – Little Miss Pretender

Harry wasn't feeling so great.

There was a lot of tension between himself and his friends, but not just any kind of tension, romantic tension.

Hermione and Ron were starting to feel for each other, he knew it, could see it in their eyes. And he himself was falling for Ginny. It worried him because so far he hadn't had such a good track record with relationships, or rather, his one relationship with Cho. Hermione hadn't had such a good time of it with Krum two years ago either he'd learned. Ron had also learned and now those two were mad at each other.

Oh, and Ginny was snogging Dean, there was that too. That was an issue for him.

Between Ron and Hermione not speaking, Ron and Ginny not speaking, Ron being a bit of a prick honestly, and he wanting to deck Dean who had no idea he was a little super stressed. And of course there were also his lessons with Dumbledore, learning more about Voldemort, that Half-Blood Prince Potions book, Slughorn being a creep, and Draco acting suspicious. Yeah, his life was pretty much just a ball of stress and he wanted it to end.

He'd taken to avoiding his friends, which was sad, and avoiding people in general, which was sadder.

In fact he hadn't actively spoken to anyone in two days. He'd been hiding in the library between classes, eating at the very end of lunch and dinner when everyone had mostly left and most of the food was gone, and went right to bed as soon as he got back to their rooms.

It was tiring, ducking and dodging all the people looking to talk with him but he really couldn't do it. He couldn't stand to sit and listen to them gripe on and on about their problems. He had enough of his own to deal with!

With a sigh he let his head bang down onto the desk before him. It was a Saturday morning. In half an hour everyone with permission would be going down to Hogsmeade and as much as he wanted to be among that number…

"Are we talking?"

He jumped as a soft voice called out to him and slowly raised his head to regard Lauren, sitting there with a soft, curious smile.

He sighed. "Love sucks" and dropped his head back onto the table.

"You in love?"

"Maybe" why'd he just say that? Whatever. "Ron and Hermione are fighting" he grumbled into the wood.

"Ah. So that's why they've been glaring at each other and why you've been running from them."

He looked at her curiously. She had noticed?

"They keep asking if I know where you are. They're also trying to use me as a go between." She stuck her tongue out at him, showing her displeasure at the action. "I've been avoiding them a bit too, to be completely honest… Going to Hogsmeade today?"

"I want to."

"Then go."

"They might be there."

"So. We'll just hide if we see them."

"We?"

"Yeah we! Let's go on a date" she laughed and he looked up at her like she'd just grown a second head.

"I don't think-"

"Not a real one!" she laughed a little harder. "A pretend one, pretending is fun after all. It'll be something to take both our minds off our hopeless love lives"

He thought she sounded a little too happy saying that but smiled despite himself. Her cheer was contagious at moments like this and he was glad she was his friend.

"Alright" he sighed, standing slowly. "But I've got to sneak in. No permission slip and all" he shrugged.

"Shall I sneak with you?" she questioned and he laughed.

"Please do."

He offered her his hand and they walked out of the library together, both smiling cheerfully.

They parted ways where the paths to their respective towers diverged and promised to meet back in twenty minutes. Harry needed his invisibility cloak and Lauren needed to change into something that wasn't her pajamas.

They met each other again at the agreed time, Harry doing a double take at her when she walked up. He'd seen her in regular clothes before sure, had even seen her all dressy for the Yule Ball two years ago, but she looked… He didn't even know.

He thought it was probably the hair that threw him. He'd only ever seen her hair down or in sloppy pigtails so when he noticed it twisted up in a messy little knot with orange and black chopsticks, her bangs left to brush her forehead and cheeks, it threw him. She looked drastically older like this.

The fact that she was wearing clothes that actually fit, a nice orange turtle neck and tight dark wash jeans, plus two inch wedged boots, also helped.

She giggled at his startled face and did a little twirl. "I look okay?"

"Lovely" he managed, and looked down at himself, blue jeans, black t-shirt, red flannel over top, and his sneakers. "Did I underdress?" And he wondered why he asked because she was wearing casual clothes that would look completely normal on anyone else. She just wasn't anyone else.

"Not at all" she laughed. "Shall we go?"

He nodded, took her offered hand, and he showed her his way to Hogsmeade.

They exited Honey Dukes and then went right back in, Lauren tugging him by the sleeve. Now he knew why she always had so much candy on her all the time, he couldn't even count the amount of treats she bought, though he knew there were at least fifty sugar quills because she'd counted them off.

After that purchase they wandered back outside and went bouncing from shop to shop. It was actually very fun and extremely invigorating every time they spotted a teacher or one of their teed off friends. Hiding from them turned into a game and Lauren started to hum the Mission Impossible theme every time they did it.

He didn't watch many movies, especially not American ones, but he was familiar with 007 and he was a little happy that he knew someone else that got those Muggle culture references. Hermione did too sort of but theater had been more of her thing it seemed.

Lauren's stomach growled as they crouched behind a building and Harry suggested they go for lunch. Hopefully the Hogshead wouldn't be too full. A few new little restaurants had opened up and were far more popular with the younger students. Hermione seemed to like them too so, even better!

Hand in hand they walked to the pub, glad to see that the 'no students' sign wasn't up, and slipped inside.

There were a few people here and there but no teachers, no Ron, no Hermione, no Dean, and no Ginny. They heaved matching relieved sighs and took a seat in a back booth after Harry ordered them both a butter beer.

"Fun day" Lauren smiled as they sat, pillowing her head on her folded arm.

"Yeah" he smiled back. "Thanks for this."

"No problem, no problem" she waved him off dismissively, yawning. "Anything for a fellow loser in love."

"Oh yeah" he nodded, recalling something. "Are you falling too?"

"Maybe" she answered just as cryptically as he had. "Even if I am it's not like I can do anything about it."

"Who is he?"

"Who is she?"

"You really don't know?" he frowned, resting his head in his open palm.

"Nope."

They paused as their drinks arrived, Lauren holding hers up. "To an awesome day with an awesome friend."

They clinked their mugs together and drank, grinning at each other when they set the half drained mugs down.

"Not letting you get out of answering" he said.

"Not letting you get out of it either. Tell me" she leaned forward.

"You tell me" he leaned forward.

"Why do you wanna know?" she got a little closer still, wanting to see who would pull back first. She always tied with Draco.

"I need to know whose ass to kick if you show up crying. Why do you wanna know?" He didn't lean forward but he didn't move.

"Same reason. Gotta look out for my boy." She smiled and he laughed, leaning back into his seat.

She'd won!

Slowly he looked around the room, looking to see who all was there. No one close enough to hear? Good. He leaned forward again. "It's Ginny."

She pursed her lips, looking thoughtful, then nodded. "Makes sense. Can't believe I didn't think of that."

"I was a little surprised too… Now, you tell me who this bloke is."

"Hm… Nope" she giggled.

"I told you" he nearly pouted.

"So. I never agreed to tell you. Anyway, what's it matter. We'll never get together."

"Oh?"

"Yep."

"And why not?"

"He's… he's way outta my league" she sighed.

Harry frowned. "It's not Malfoy is it?"

She nearly choked on the butter beer she was drinking. "Merlin no! He's like… Brother status! Like you!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't know if I appreciate being at the same level as him."

"Oh be nice" she coughed one more time then straightened up her posture. "He's not that terrible, just a little misguided."

Harry just gave her an incredulous look that said he wanted to move away from this topic. She figured she could do that and continued "anyway. I'm not saying. It's probably just a crush. It'll pass with time."

She bit her lip, running her finger along the rim of her glass. She said that but was it true? A part of her said no, a part said yes, a part wanted it to be true, a bigger part didn't. She wanted to be in love with Professor Snape, she wanted that for whatever odd reason. She wanted to be happy when she saw him, sad when he was far away. She wanted to continue on as she had, even if he never knew of her feelings…

"Love's great isn't it?" Harry asked with a bitter laugh.

"Wonderful" she agreed and when the waitress brought over two more mugs of butter beer he raised his glass first.

"To Love and all its bloody pains."

"To Love" she agreed with a tired smile and a roll of her eyes.

When they set their drinks down again Harry smiled at her and she smiled right back. Quietly he wondered who it was she had her eye on. He was a lucky bloke whoever he was, though Harry couldn't quite say he was jealous. He did have his heart set one someone else after all. He just hoped that whoever the guy was he'd treat her well. She deserved someone who could keep that radiant smile around, and he really didn't want to have to add anyone else to his 'people I must defeat for whatever reason' list. It was too bloody long.

"Best pretend date ever?" she asked suddenly and he laughed.

"Best pretend date ever."

"Now if only we could get real ones."

He was still laughing about that one on the way back.

Ta da~ Didja like it? I thought it was kinda cute when I was writing it so I hope you all hought the same. If not I'm sorry. ^^ Maybe next time.

Next chapter will be Christmas time~ We're back to time with Sev!

Till then if you've got any questions, comments, or advice send em my way! If not, thanks for reading! Have a good day/night/other~