Warning: For Mature readers only!

Harry stared at Thompson's sleeping form with an expressionless face. His occlumency skills were being used in full effect to stave off the aura that filled the room. Still, Harry knew he couldn't stay for long.

If not for the small smile Thompson had on her face, there would be no reason for him to still be here. He couldn't understand it.

If she had been awake, Harry might have been able to convince himself that she was putting on an act, but Thompson was asleep.

And she was smiling because she wanted to, for reasons that baffled Harry.

He was starting to suspect that the Sorrow Stone somehow made Thompson happy. There had been nothing changed in her life except for that.

Harry's gaze drifted to where he had hidden the Stone and was tempted to remove it so that he could see if she would return to her usual self in the morning. However, if his suspicions were true, Thompson might wake up if the terrible aura in the room disappeared.

He would give her one more night to see what would happen. There might still be a chance that she would crack, as unlikely as it seemed at this point.

Harry stared at Thompson's closed eyes and wished he had mastered legilimency to the point of not requiring eye contact. He knew from the vague descriptions in publicly available books that it was possible to reach that level. It was also mentioned that it was accompanied by the ability to be subtle, which Harry currently was not when he used legilimency.

In the few times he used it, with Goldstein being the most recent, he imagined that it must feel like a piercing headache. That was the opposite of being subtle.

Harry shivered when the colors in the room seemed to slowly lose their luster. Even the darkness itself seemed to gain a gray tint. He backed away from Thompson's bed and silently left the room.

The Stone affected Harry in a much quicker time than what he remembered. If he had stayed a bit longer, Harry knew thoughts of a dangerous nature, for his own health, would be filling his mind. That had been what happened the last time Harry was under the Stone's influence.

The more Harry remembered what he went through, the more he thought of Thompson's bizarre reaction. There must be a reason behind it. Maybe it could be because of her questionable mental state. There was no way for Harry to confirm it directly, but perhaps there were some wires crossed in Thompson that registered despair as happiness.

… Even as Harry considered that idea, it seemed foolish.

He exited the Ravenclaw common room and frowned when he saw Granger directing another Prefect at the end of the hallway. Harry had an idea what attracted her attention but couldn't believe Ashwood hadn't got off his arse to go back to his room.

As Harry walked closer, he heard something that made him scowl in annoyance.

"… get Madame Pomfrey! I don't think he's breathing!" Hermione felt useless as the only healing spell she knew was only suitable for minor scrapes or bruises. It would do nothing to fix whatever happened here.

Hermione had her wand pointed at the seemingly lifeless boy as she struggled to decide if she should move him to the hospital wing herself. The only way to do it safely was to cast a freezing charm and levitate him, but Hermione didn't know if that would cause more harm than good.

While she was fretting about what to do, Harry was staring blankly at Ashwood. He was trying to decide if he should help and, if he chose to, how to go about it. Unlike what Granger feared, he could tell that there was life still in Ashwood's body, but it was weak. However, Harry knew he could help him hold on until Madame Pomfrey arrived.

Harry didn't intend to go this far. He wanted to put fear in Ashwood so he'd stop being an utter prick to Lovegood, but not to the point of taking his life. However, Harry couldn't deny that he considered walking away and letting whatever came to pass. It might fix the issue Lovegood was having without him having to waste more time on it, if Ashwood died, of course.

The only thing that stopped him from doing that was Granger. She looked as if she would break down if anything happened to Ashwood on her watch, and as much as Harry loathed to admit it, he wasn't keen on that happening.

Once Granger had gotten past the belief that every Slytherin was a secretly hidden future Dark Lord, no doubt an influence of Weasley, she made a concerted effort to befriend Harry. As he mentioned before, it was most likely from the guilt she felt since he had been the first to talk to her on the train before starting Hogwarts, but the point still stood.

The actual decision now was between two choices. Harry could stay under his cloak to stay hidden while stabilizing Ashwood. Or he could pretend to have come across Granger while breaking curfew to do it openly.

Harry obviously chose the second. Staying hidden might have been safer, but if he was going to save an irritant, he would prefer to gain something from it. Granger's appreciation must be some sort of use for him, surely.

Hermione had tears welling up in her eyes as her wand shook in her hand. If she tried to help, it might kill the boy, and if she didn't, it might still end up with him dead. Hermione had a close brush with death far too many times in the past, but never did she have to make a decision that could immediately mean someone else's death.

"Granger?"

Hermione turned to see a blurry figure through her watery eyes that she recognized as Harry.

"H-Harry!" Hermione choked out, "I found him unconscious. I'm not sure if he's breathing or not!."

"Unconscious?" Harry frowned as he moved next to Granger to look at Ashwood. He found it amusing that he would have to save the boy he put in this position.

Harry waved his wand over the unconscious boy, saying, "He's still alive, but he'll need a healer."

"Salveo Vitalis."

Hermione gasped in fear when she saw Harry cast a spell. "No!"

"Hm?" Harry looked at her in question, "What's wrong, Granger?"

Hermione didn't answer since she was gaping at the unconscious boy's chest, visibly rising as it took in air. "How did you do that? We've never learned that in class."

"That would be quite the feat to teach all the students this spell. It's a basic spell taught to those who want to become healers, but it's still beyond most students."

"They should give us the option!" Hermione said as she tried to discreetly wipe her eyes, "It would be useful in emergencies like this!"

"True," Harry shrugged, "But it isn't done. And you're welcome, Granger."

Hermione stared at him cluelessly before uttering a small "Oh."

Harry grunted in shock when Granger launched herself at him and tried to squeeze him to death. He had to fight every instinct he had formed over the years to stop himself from blasting Granger off him and leaving her in a similar state to Ashwood.

Harry was not accustomed to close contact. Not without him making the initial move.

Harry understood Granger didn't mean any harm and was showing the appreciation he wanted from her for saving Ashwood. Still, he wished it would be at arm's length.

Harry patted Granger's back lightly and said, "While I don't mind having you so close to me, I think Longbottom would."

Hermione shook her head and squeezed him tighter, knowing he was saying that just to get her to release him. "Thank you, Harry. You might have saved his life."

"You mean I did save his life. I doubt he would have lasted another minute."

To Harry's delight, Granger finally released him from the forced hug.

"Yes, Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Honestly, you should learn how to take compliments."

She looked at the unconscious boy and said, "I wonder what happened to him. It looks like he has broken ribs."

"Who knows," Harry said casually, "Maybe it was a lover's quarrel gone wrong."

"I doubt that would lead to him being left for dead."

Harry shrugged, not wanting Granger to stay on this topic for long. Thankfully, he had changed his voice when he dealt with Ashwood, so it was unlikely for anyone to discover what really happened here.

"And I doubt we will know the truth until he wakes up to tell us."

"I suppose," Hermione sighed as she looked toward the stairs, wondering when help would arrive, "Thanks again, Harry. I don't want to think about what could have happened if you weren't here."

"My pleasure, Granger. Now, if you don't mind, I need to take my leave."

"Have a good night, Har—," Hermione cut herself as her eyes widened, "Wait! What are you doing out so late!"

Harry pretended to freeze with an awkward look, "I was hoping you'd miss that part."

Hermione stared at Harry briefly before reluctantly saying, "Don't let me catch you again. I do owe you one, but this is the only time I'm going to let you go."

"Well, if I'm using up a favor, I rather you dock points off."

"Are you being serious?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Of course. Why would I want to use a favor from Hermione Granger to save five measly House points?"

"Oh," Hermione felt her cheeks growing warm, "What would you rather use it for?"

Harry could think of plenty of options he would use it for rather than saving some useless points, with the most desirable being the report on the Melody Flower. He didn't need Granger to do the work for him, but if she won the prize, he wouldn't decline if she handed it over. The problem was telling Granger in a way that didn't offend her.

"I'd have to sleep on it, I'm afraid," Harry shook his head before something popped up in his mind, "Wait, Granger, do you think you could help me research something?"

Hermione visibly deflated but tried to hide her disappointment. "Um, I suppose. What is it?"

"There's a condition I'm trying to find more about. It causes one to feel better the more despair they experience."

Harry nodded at Hermione's puzzled look, "I know, that was my reaction too. It's a paradox."

"Who is it?"

"I can't tell you that," Harry shook his head and lied, "It was told to me in confidence."

"That's not much to go on, Harry, but it sounds odd enough that there might only be a few explanations. I'll try to find more on it."

"That's what I thought too," Harry said with a smile, "And I appreciate it, Granger."

"I didn't know you were interested in being a healer, Harry."

"I'm not," Harry denied, "But it doesn't hurt to know more, does it? It certainly helped tonight. You must feel the same way, Granger."

"That's true," Hermione agreed before frowning, "Why do you insist on calling me Granger? It makes it sound like we're strangers."

"Why?" Harry blinked, not expecting a complaint of this sort, "I suppose it's a habit. You can take it as a Slytherin thing."

"Well, no more," Hermione declared, "We're friends, Harry, and friends don't call each other by their last names."

Harry stared at Granger, wondering if friends would do what he had done tonight. In a way, he supposed they did. He did prevent Granger from having a breakdown from having to watch Ashwood die in front of her.

"Hm," Harry noticed Granger's nervous look and smiled, "You're right."

He supposed that of all the students he had contact with, Granger and Longbottom were the closest to being his friends. It wasn't much of a statement since the others Harry had contact with were his clients, as depressing as that sounded.

Harry heard footsteps and looked in the direction of the stairs. "Looks like help is on the way."

"Yeah…," Hermione couldn't hide her disappointment this time, not when Harry slapped away her offer of friendship. She tried to distract herself by looking at the unconscious boy, which kept reminding her of how calm Harry looked when he saved him.

"That's my cue to leave. Keep me updated on how the research goes. I'll see you later, Hermione."

Hermione turned with a shocked look, which quickly changed into confusion when she didn't see him.

"Harry?" Hermione called out, "Are you still here?"

"Yes, now I'd appreciate it if you stop saying my name, Hermione. We might be on a first-name basis, Hermione, but that will change if you get me caught."

Hermione's eyes darted around where she could hear him as she nodded. "Only if you tell me how you're invisible next time I see you."

"We can talk about that later. Good night, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes since she knew Harry was saying her name excessively on purpose. Still, she replied, "Sleep well, Harry."

Harry walked back to the Slytherin common room in a much better mood. Perhaps there is something to having a friend. Though Harry wasn't sure he and Granger could genuinely be called that. After all, she didn't really know him. Because if she did, Harry was sure she would rage against some of his actions and do her best to stop him.

However, as he always mentioned, having the top-scoring student in his year on his side could never be a bad thing. Especially since she was willing to do some research for him. If that meant Harry had to change a simple thing like how he addressed Granger, or rather, Hermione, then so be it.

"Supremacy."

Harry's entrance alerted the stragglers left in the common room. It hadn't been the first time this had happened. The regularity had convinced most students that it was a quirk of Slytherin's entrance to open randomly at night, just like how the stairs randomly made the students' life difficult by moving.

He ignored the annoyed muttering and headed to his room to sleep.

This story is 8 chapters ahead for my patrons

P atreo n . com (slash) MarkusEllis (Remove spaces)