A/N: And we're back! I haven't forgotten about this. Sorry it's been several months, I've been incredibly busy and tired lately but I'm gonna try my best to put out a chapter every few weeks at most.
It's finally happening. I'll give you the HHr stuff you're actually here for. Just a little bit for now…
On a side note, sometime in the future I'm going to revise a few of the earlier chapters to add more detail to the writing and clean up any grammar or consistency issues. It won't be for a while though, sorry.
Believe it or not, I still don't own Harry Potter or any associated characters.
As always thanks to my beta reader BananaCarrot5
"Don' panic, now, don' panic," Hagrid yelled, stepping around an enormous smoldering box filled with pillows.
Harry and Hermione stood next to Hagrid's cabin, shivering as the chilly December wind all but ignored their robes. Around them, the ten remaining blast-ended skrewts ravaged the icy pumpkin patch, spewing flames as the rest of their Care of Magical Creatures class scattered to seek shelter.
"You really should send a note to Sirius soon," Hermione said, her teeth chattering. She cupped her gloved hands in front of her mouth and blew on them. "He must be worried sick, you haven't written him since before the first task!"
Harry nodded, careful not to dislodge the scarf he had tightly wrapped around himself. "I know," he said. "I would like to stay at Grimmauld Place this summer. Rather that then the Dursleys."
They watched as another box caught fire from a direct blast, the pillows inside igniting almost instantly. Only a handful of students remained outside; most had fled to the safety of Hagrid's cabin.
"Could use a little help here!" exclaimed Ron, who was struggling to restrain one of the man-sized skrewts without getting burned.
With a sigh, Harry drew his wand and stepped forward.
"Remember, we can't use Incarcerous" Hermione warned as she grabbed a length of rope that lay next to the cabin. "Conjuration is NEWT-level material."
Harry looked at his wand with a frown, before reluctantly tucking it back into his robes.
After a rather cold and frustrating half-hour, Hagrid and the remnant of his class that stayed outside to help finally managed to restrain nine of the skrewts.
"One left," Harry said tiredly. The creature scuttled closer to Hagrid, its stinger arched over its body. Harry threw a length of looped rope at the skrewt, which wrapped around the stinger and pulled. Hagrid launched himself at the creature, flattening it.
"Ah Harry, fancy seeing you here."
Harry turned to see Rita Skeeter in a thick magenta cloak leaning against the garden fence, seemingly enthralled with the fiery destruction that had been wrought against Hagrid's pumpkins.
"I thought we had an agreement, Rita," Harry said, visibly irritated. Hagrid took the rope from him and began dragging the semi-squished creature toward an intact box.
She smiled at Harry, her gold teeth glinting.
"You're right Harry, we do," she said. "And you still owe me an exclusive interview."
Harry groaned inwardly.
"Look, I'm really quite busy right now," he said, gesturing to the withered pumpkin plants at his feet. "Maybe after Christmas holidays."
Rita nodded as she glanced around, noticing several students sporting burns and cuts from their recent encounter with the skrewts. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Hermione standing off to his side, looking at Rita with her arms crossed.
"Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school anymore," Hagrid grunted, making his way back over to the cabin.
Rita ignored Hagrid. "Looks like quite the story happening right here," she said to Harry. "Perhaps I can run a feature in the zoological column?"
Harry glowered at her. "Fine, you can have your interview at the start of next term. Just leave me and my friends alone."
The bell rang up at the castle, and the rest of the class grabbed their bags.
"Excellent, I'll be in touch then. Goodbye Harry!" Rita called out as Harry set off towards the castle with Hermione and Ron.
"Oh that horrid woman," Hermione muttered under her breath.
Harry found himself unable to disagree with her.
-:-:-:-
"Harry, can we stop by the library after dinner?" Hermione asked Harry. The two of them were seated in the Great Hall, enjoying the hot food after nearly getting frostbite earlier in their class with Hagrid.
Harry looked up at her from across the table. "Sure," he said, pausing to take another bite of his brisket. "Is there something specific we're looking for?"
"I wanted to pick up some books on charms for a bit of further study," she said, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "You can also write your letter to Sirius then too."
"Brilliant idea Hermione," Harry said. Hermione beamed at him, her cheeks taking on a tinge of pink.
Ron plopped down beside Hermione. Several strands of his red hair were still singed from wrestling with the blast-ended skrewts a few hours ago.
"Hagrid must be mental, keeping those things around," he said, grabbing several slices of brisket at once, "took me ages to get the soot out of my robes."
He shoveled an entire piece of brisket into his mouth. "What'd I miss?" He asked, calmly looking between the two.
"Um, Harry and I were going to go study in the library," Hermione said.
"Study?" Ron exclaimed, sending bits of food flying across the table. "But it's almost Christmas!"
"He just wants to be prepared for the next task," she answered. "I offered to help."
Ron leaned forward in his seat. "The next task?" he asked Harry eagerly. "Any idea what it is?"
Harry shook his head. "Not a clue," he lied. "Haven't figured out the egg yet." He had almost forgotten about the golden egg, which was presently gathering dust in the bottom of his trunk, forgotten.
"Bummer," Ron said. "The second task can't be that challenging, can it? They already had you face off against a dragon."
Harry locked eyes with Hermione, who appeared to share the same apprehension he felt. Even though he knew that the 'hostages' would be safe, Harry was still not looking forward to Hermione being placed underwater while unconscious.
"It's probably worse," Harry said solemnly.
Ron glanced up from his plate, noticing the two of them looking at each other. He gave them a curious look before returning to his food.
Harry finished off his brisket and got up from the table.
"Well, see you in the common room, Ron," Hermione said, reaching for her bag.
"Later," Ron mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Harry hefted his own bag and started towards the entrance to the Great Hall.
"I feel bad lying to Ron," Harry confessed, as they walked out the door.
"Me too," Hermione said. "But it's not like we can let him in on our plans, or anyone else for that matter."
Entering the library, Hermione strode over to an empty, rather secluded table on the far end of the room, placing her bag next to one of the chairs.
"I'll only be a few minutes," she said, turning to Harry. "I'm going to go look for a few books."
Harry nodded as he slid into the seat opposite Hermione's bag.
"Take your time," he said, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill. "I'll let you know when I'm done with my letter so I can help."
With a smile, Hermione nearly sprinted off, vanishing into the mass of bookshelves, her brown curls flowing behind her.
Harry turned his attention to the parchment in front of him. He dipped his quill in the ink and began to write.
Dear Snuffles,
Hope you're doing okay since our floo call. I'm sorry for not writing to you sooner; life has been rather hectic for me recently. The First Task went even better than I had hoped; I didn't get hurt and I got first place! I even beat Victor Krum. Karkaroff was furious.
I was thinking about what you said to me last year, and I wanted to ask if you still want me to live with you during the summer. It's okay if you don't, I just think it would be nice to see you more often.
Stay safe and please write back soon.
Best,
Harry
Leaning back in the chair, Harry placed his quill on the table as he read over the letter.
He jumped as a stack of books slammed onto the table. A slightly out-of-breath Hermione slipped into the chair across from him.
"I'm back," she announced triumphantly. She gestured to the pile of books on the table. "I thought we could start with these. Have you finished your letter yet?"
"I have," Harry said, handing it to her. "I was thinking I'll take it to the owlery after Transfiguration tomorrow."
He reached for the closest book on the table; a worn tome roughly two inches thick that he had to use two hands to lift.
"You said we're starting with these?"
-:-:-:-
A very bored Harry stared out the window, watching snowflakes flutter by. Hermione had nodded off next to him, clutching her notebook to her chest and leaning ever so slightly into his side.
"Potter, Granger! Will you pay attention?"
Professor McGonagall's irritated voice cracked like a whip through the Transfiguration class on Thursday, and Harry and Hermione both jumped and looked up.
It was the end of the lesson and they had finished their classwork ages ago. Hermione had insisted they get a head start on the homework written on the blackboard ("Describe, with examples, the ways in which Transforming Spells must be adapted when performing Cross-Species Switches"), which they had already completed with little trouble.
With a huff, Professor McGonagall turned to face the rest of the class as Hermione rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Now then, I have something to say to you all."
"The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the Ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish -"
Lavender Brown let out a shrill giggle. Parvati Patil nudged her hard in the ribs, and they both looked around at Harry. Hermione shifted in her seat, narrowing her eyes at the two girls.
"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then -"
Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.
"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to - er - let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.
Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound.
Harry leaned towards Hermione. "I wonder if she'll take her own advice this time around," he whispered.
Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense. Hermione grinned and shook her head.
"But that does not mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."
The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.
Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter - a word, if you please."
"I'll be right back," Harry said to Hermione as the rest of the class filtered out of the room. He handed her his bag.
"Could you wait for me?"
She looked at him in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Miss Granger, do you mind if Mr. Potter and I have a word?" Professor McGonagall asked from her desk.
"Not at all professor," Hermione said. With a fleeting glance back at Harry, she walked out of the classroom.
Professor McGonagall patiently waited as Hermione left, before turning back to Harry.
"Potter, the champions and their partners traditionally open the ball, so I expect-"
"For me to have a partner for the Ball," Harry said, turning a little red. "I understand."
Professor McGonagall looked at Harry curiously.
"I'm glad to hear that Mr. Potter," she continued.
"As a champion, you are indeed required to have a partner to dance with. Please be sure you have a partner when the time comes. Good luck," she said, with an air of finality.
"Thank you," Harry said. He turned and left the room, walking out into the hall to look for Hermione.
She was sitting on the floor a few paces from the doorway, her back against the wall. Her notebook was open on her lap, and Harry's bag sat next to her.
Noticing him, Hermione closed her notebook as she stood. Harry stooped to pick up his bag and they set off towards the owlery.
"Harry, we need to find a place to practice some of the more… dangerous spells on our list," Hermione said, as the two of them made their way up the west tower, taking care not to slip on the ice-coated steps.
"I've been thinking the same thing," Harry said. He paused a moment to wrap his robes tighter around him before stepping into the owlery.
They were immediately met with a gust of frigid air from the open windows that wrapped around the circular room.
A shivering Hermione scrunched her nose at the stench of straw, droppings, and dead rodents that covered the stone floor. Ignoring the smell, Harry walked around the room, checking the alcoves set into the wall until he found the barn owl he had used previously.
"The Room of Requirement would definitely be a good place to practice," Harry said, sealing the envelope. He held it out to the owl, who took the letter in its beak, and flew out a window with a flap of its wings.
"That's a great place to practice while we're at school," Hermione agreed, "But what about over the summers?"
"We could try- Ow!" Harry exclaimed, as Hedwig jealously nipped at his hand. "Sorry Hedwig, it's to Sirius," he said to the owl.
"Maybe Grimmauld Place would work?" Harry said, turning back towards Hermione. "I doubt it though."
"So do I," Hermione said as she reached down to pet Hedwig. "I picked up a few books from the library on the Fidelius charm, I thought maybe we could go back to the Forest of Dean and use protective enchantments to section off an area for us to use over the summers."
"That's a great idea, Hermione. Why the Forest of Dean?"
"It was secluded enough for us to use during our Horcrux hunt last- no, three years from now," Hermione reasoned.
"Brilliant!" Harry said. He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice.
"Also, speaking of Horcruxes, we still need to talk about our plan for the Gaunt Ring."
Hermione nodded. They hadn't discussed a plan yet. Moving her bag in front of her, she reached for her notebook and pen.
"So, we can't apparate inside Hogwarts," Hermione started.
"Right," Harry said, leaning against the cold stone wall. "Not a problem, I can just fly us out of the grounds on the Firebolt."
Hermione nodded, her pen making a soft scratch as she scribbled down Harry's idea. "That works. We'll apparate to and from the same spot."
She stopped writing, the pen hovering above the page. "Are you sure you can apparate us to the ring? Do you know where it is?"
Harry shrugged. "I know it's in a shack in Little Hangleton, I remember seeing it in a memory Dumbledore showed me. It definitely has some protective magic around it, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find."
"I've been reading up on dispelling enchantments recently," Hermione said, looking up from the notebook. "Leave the protective magic to me. What night do we want to make the trip?"
Harry thought for a moment. "December 26th," he said. "The day after the Yule Ball."
Hermione's eyes lingered on Harry for a second, and a frown appeared on her face as she finished writing.
"It's settled then," she said, looking crestfallen. She closed her notebook, pausing to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.
"What's up?" Harry asked. "Are you alright?"
Hermione bit her lip, steeling herself. "Aren't you gonna ask me to be your date to the ball?"
"I-I didn't know if you wanted to go with someone else," Harry said, his cheeks starting to flush. "You don't have to go with me if you don't want to."
Hermione squinted at Harry as if she was trying to see him properly. "Who else would I go with? What do I have in common with anyone here?"
She's right, Harry thought to himself. The idea of either of them going to the ball with anyone else seemed laughable at this point.
But… does this mean she actually wants to go to the ball with me?
He looked at the brown-haired witch in front of him, his best friend. Hermione was watching him, her eyes glistening and bouncing slightly on her toes with barely contained eagerness.
Harry took a deep breath. "Hermione."
"Yes, Harry?" Hermione asked softly, her ears turning light pink.
"Will you be my date to the Yule Ball?"
Her face split into a wide grin as she threw herself at Harry, wrapping him in a hug.
"Of course I will."