Lovely to know you all are liking the story!

I've gotten some reviews about how Harry seems to be out of character. But I think losing Hermione to Ron, and living in the muggle world would have changed him-maybe I'll add some of that in the next chapter.

Enjoy this chapter!

Hermione woke the next day with a feeling of excitement. She couldn't put her finger on why she felt that way. Then it came back in a rush- the run-in with the Board's 'thug', how Harry had saved her, and their passionate 'session' outside their doors.

Hermione jumped out of bed, feeling like singing. She picked out a lovely sky-blue dress, and donned it, and then balanced herself in wedges. She practically hopped down to breakfast, and slid into a seat between Harry and Vera.

"Hi, Vera! Hi, H- um, I mean, Potter."

Vera smiled at her, and passed her some toast. Harry, however, gave a mere grunt.

The smile slid off her face as she took in Harry's grumpy expression. He seemed to be almost done with breakfast. Mopping up the last of the sauce with a piece of bread, he said, "I've got some work down in the village, Lady Grey. Have a nice morning, then."

He gave Grey a mandatory smile and pushed back his chair. He didn't give Hermione so much as a glance.

Hermione rose just as he stalked out the doorway. "I'll have this on the run. Sorry, Vera, I'll explain when I get back," said Hermione, grabbing a few more slices of toast and running after Harry.

She caught up with Harry on the front steps of the castle. She called out to him. She expected him to speed up, but he didn't. He didn't slow down either. She caught up with him, out of breath.

"What do you want?" he snapped at her, his gaze on the road.

She ran around him, and put a hand on his chest, bringing him to a reluctant stop.

"What do I want?" she screeched, the final strains of joy fading, as she recognised the look on his face. Or rather, didn't recognise. He was shutting her out again.

He put his face close to hers, their eyes level. He glared at her, and she jumped, startled.

"Yes, what do you want? Last night was a mistake, as we both know. I took advantage of you."

Hermione looked shocked. She said, "But-but-that's not what you seemed to think last night.."

Harry gave a snort. "Obviously. I kissed you, didn't I."

Hurt filled Hermione's face, and Harry said, "I loved it! Obviously. But let's face it, Hermione, we're never going to happen."

"What?" stuttered Hermione, her face in mingled confusion and hurt.

"Why not? I like you, and you like me. We can work through our problems, Harry, please," continued Hermione, stepping backwards as he tried to move forward and around her.

"Like I told you last night, Hermione, you can never really run from the past. And the past will always be bigger than the present for us," said Harry, his nonchalant voice at complete odds with what he was saying.

He started walking faster, and Hermione moved backwards faster too, her hands still clutching the front of his shirt.

She stumbled as her wedges caught on one of the stones on the pathway, and fell backward. He was there in a heartbeat, his hands darting around her waist. She straightened, her hands clutching his shoulder for support.

She exhaled deeply, feeling the familiar headiness fill her as she gazed into his green eyes.

"Harry," she pleaded. This was becoming familiar to her.

Something flickered in his eyes as he looked back at her.

He took a quick step backward, and her hands fell away from him.

He walked around her and off down the path to the village.

She trudged back to the castle, trying to hold back her tears.

Hermione was in the library, feverishly copying paragraphs and opening and shutting books.

She thought she was onto something. Something that explained why the Castle was suddenly a poltergeist haunt.

She needed to clear up some things with Vera first.

At tea that day, she pointedly ignored Harry. Instead, she kept up a steady stream of questions to Vera.

"Vera, I never quite cleared up one thing. You told me the Board wants to buy the castle, or dismantle it to bits. Why sell it in the first place?"

Lady Grey seemed to be pondering the question.

"Hermione asked politely, Is it a matter of money, or...?"

Lady Grey waved her question away. "No, not that. The castle is too big for just me. What with my husband dying, it's just too hard for me to stay here. The maintenance and the help alone are guzzling away the money."

Hermione nodded understandingly. "You want to get away from it all. I get it."

Harry gave a loud cough, and both of them jumped. Hermione flushed red, knowing what Harry was thinking.

Vera said, "I'm buying a small place outside of London. I've got friends in the city, and I'll be happy there, just me and a couple of the maids."

Hermione smiled. "You'd be closer to Minerva. She'd like that, I'd expect."

Harry's head shot up to look at Hermione. "Minerva?"

Vera's and Hermione's heads swivelled to look at him, and Harry kicked himself mentally.

He hastened to say, "Is she, like, a mutual friend of yours?"

Vera nodded curtly. Harry was saved by Hermione's next question.

"So, why does the Historical Board want to turn this into a museum? I mean, this place is out of the way for tourists."

Vera nodded. "Yes, this part of the coast is usually deserted, even in good weather. The Board wants to give a plausible reason for wanting to buy such a huge historical sight, that's all. I see right through them."

Suddenly realising that Harry was there on behalf of the board, she gave him a tense look. Harry, however, seemed to be watching one of the men who had entered through the door.

Hermione followed his gaze, and saw, with a frisson of fear, that it was the man who had threatened her the other night.

Lady Vera called, "Ah, Ryan. Alice sent up fresh hot water for the tea, did she? Set it here. And this pot's gone cold, we were all a little late."

Hermione was frozen in place as Ryan walked up to her side of the table. Harry was glaring daggers at him.

Ryan, on spotting the two of them, twisted his face into one mockingly polite look.

Hermione saw the movement out of the corner of her eye. Ryan seemed to trip over an uneven board in the floor, and with a huge yell, he dropped the pot of boiling water right over Hermione's head.

Hermione gave a heart-rending scream as she felt the water seep through her hair. Except it wasn't water, and it wasn't seeping. It was like fire, and it was burning her scalp, her face, and her eyes-god, please make it stop.

Raw, raw pain, burning, stinging her face, her shoulders, her neck, her chest. It felt the skin was curling away from her, turning to ash in the heat.

She heard her voice screaming, resounding in the small dinner room, and could see lights flickering behind her closed eyelids and streaming tears.

She felt a strong, chapped hand clutch her hand, which was clutching her chair.

Harry's face swam into focus in front of her in her imagining, and he heard him yelling, his face twisted, "I've got you, Hermione!"

She gripped his hand tight, and everything went black.

Does this even count as a cliffhanger?

Anyway, how did you like it? Review!