A/N: In case you've all forgotten, I am not JKR, and do not own any of these characters.

Sports and physical activities had never been her strong suit. As she walked down the stairs to meet Antony in the Entrance Hall, it felt as though she'd run a marathon. Part of it stemmed from having broken down to Ron earlier that afternoon. How he'd managed to wiggle his way through all her defenses to get to the heart of the matter was unclear. And also rather dangerous. After all, the fact that his reaction to her spilling her fears at him had been to simply hold her and promise that he would be there only made her fall even more in love with him.

And feel even guiltier, if that was possible.

Of course she'd lied to him about her reasoning for a bath that particular morning. It had far less to do with wanting to take advantage of the empty space and far more to do with wanting to avoid Terry. Sleep, or the lack thereof, had done little to ease her anxieties over how to handle this latest complication. There was no viable excuse she could give him to explain why she'd snogged him and then run away. At least none that didn't involve some portion of the truth. She was also no stranger to how men handled rejection. Certainly Cormac had gotten the hint after she'd threatened to hex him upon returning from break, but she didn't want to threaten Terry. Nor did her solution to Viktor's advances seem plausible in this scenario either. Terry lived in the castle and was the same age as she was; telling him the distance and age gap were deal breakers would not work here. No, she still had to figure out what she would do with Terry.

All of which was compounded by her main problem; Ron. He still got tetchy at the mention of Viktor's name. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out she'd gone and snogged a Ravenclaw the day of the Gryffindor victory. Particularly since she wasn't sure she'd even wanted to snog that Ravenclaw. Which made the guilt that had moved into her stomach since last night begin unpacking for a long term stay once Ron apologized and stayed to make her feel better. What on earth was she going to do?

Luckily this hadn't distracted her to the point where she couldn't study. She'd managed to finish her Charms essay, and help edit Ron's Potions paper after he'd borrowed her book and nicked a spare roll of parchment from her. Perhaps in a further effort to ingratiate himself to her, he'd stayed quiet while they worked, only flicking the tip of her quill to his lips periodically.

She'd tucked the offending quill that he had practically kissed into a particular pocket of her bag, much to her simultaneous delight and shame.

They'd even gone down to dinner together-a subdued affair, as Harry and Ginny were nowhere to be seen and most of the Gryffindors looked a little worse for wear from their exertions the night before. Ron kept sending her subtle glances from under his blonde lashes, clearly making sure that she wouldn't break down again. Truthfully, she did still feel a little shaky, but she wasn't used to having to lie by omission to Ron. Except of course for keeping hidden the fact that she fancied him. But those feelings were now as familiar to her as Crookshanks' purr. This was a whole different ballgame.

Ron had just asked for a chess match when Hermione reluctantly had to leave for Prefect Rounds. She didn't mind doing them with Antony. He chattered on, but followed the rules. During the times they split up, Hermione had a feeling he was taking an opportunity to snog his girlfriend after hours. Rather than having to face them, she just carried on as normal by herself.

Antony smiled at her as she descended the steps towards him. His badge gleamed in the firelight, and his wand was tucked jauntily in his front pocket.

'Wotcher Hermione.'

'Hi Antony.'

They began walking through the moonlit courtyard, silent. Hermione kept her eyes peeled for rule-breakers. Antony did the same from her left side.

'Seems like you had a good night.' Antony broke the silence as they crept down the stairs to the boathouse (always a favourite snogging spot for Slytherins.) There was a slight joking edge to his tone that made Hermione freeze in her tracks. Terry and Antony were friends, she knew, though neither had ever brought it up to her.

'S-sorry?' she stuttered.

'Well Gryffindor won,' Antony clarified. 'I'm sure the party went on well into the night.'

'Oh. Yes.' Hermione felt her cheeks burning in the candlelight. Shining her wand into the darkened corners, for once she didn't have to tell off any canoodling teens.

'Heard you had to take contraband down to Filch,' Antony continued. Unlike Hermione, he was not out of breath as they shuffled back up the steps and continued on to the first floor. 'Personally I would have taken a big swig of Firewhisky before I gave it over.'

'It was a Fanged Frisbee, not alcohol,' Hermione corrected.

'Really?' Antony frowned. He peered behind a suit of armor and looked back at Hermione. 'There must have been some hard stuff, cause Finnegan was looking mighty rough today.'

Hermione hadn't really thought much of Seamus. Not enough to notice if he'd been hungover. Who knows what happened in the tower after she left. From the sounds of it, Ron hadn't been around to monitor either. She might have to do another thorough search of the common room this weekend. It would be like Seamus to have banned spirits hiding in plain sight.

'How were things up in your tower?' Hermione asked. They were on one of the moving staircases up to the second floor now, most of the portraits pretending to be asleep. Antony shrugged.

'About as cheerful as to be expected. Liu was devastated that Weasley managed to pick up some of his strategy. He started saying that…'

Antony began to drone on about the match and Hermione did her best to tune him out. It was a well-practiced skill honed from years of being friends with Ginny, Harry and Ron. She focused instead on her duties, although unusually they weren't finding any students out of bed.

'…Terry came back to the Tower looking like the only happy person in the house.'

Hermione tuned back in and felt her insides turn to ice.

'What?'

'I know. Said he'd found something really interesting in one of the rune books. Say, how's that going by the way?' Antony had completely changed topics. 'It's odd not being his partner this time round. What are you doing your project on?'

'Oh..er…' Hermione tried to reel in her thoughts. 'Germanic rune translations of the lycanthropic panic during the 15th century.'

'Whoa. Bit of a departure for you, isn't it?'

Terry had picked the topic. Hermione had agreed because of the darker subject matter and the hopes that it might be useful in defeating You-Know-Who. Most people in the class knew that Hermione was fascinated by the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Babbling had even sent one of her translations to an expert on the fifth dynasty. This had been a few months ago, before the professor, a prominent pro-Muggle professor in Greece, had gone underground. Hermione had never received a response.

'It is, but it has been fascinating to learn about.'

Antony chuckled. 'Then I'm glad Terry can finally partner with someone who understands how interested he is in all of that. Padma couldn't care less about our project on artistic interpretations of Goddesses in Mayan runes.'

Truthfully that topic also sounded interesting to Hermione. She made a note to ask Terry if he knew anything about them, before remembering that she was trying to avoid him at the moment.

They walked in silence for a few more floors. By the time they hit the sixth, Antony was practically bouncing. Clearly he was waiting for a moment to be alone with his girlfriend. Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes with great difficulty.

'We good to split off?' Antony finally asked in front of a portrait of a bulbous-nosed wizard with a snaggle tooth. Hermione nodded.

'Brilliant.' He began stalking off down the left hallway. 'Have a great time!'

His footsteps grew quieter as Hermione was left to ponder this. Antony had never said anything like that before. Perhaps her newfound friendship with Terry made him feel that they were also growing closer? She certainly didn't feel as though she'd done anything to invite such warm feelings from Antony. Shaking her head, she walked into another patch of moonlight.

The grounds were beautifully illuminated, bathed as they were in silver. On nights like these she liked to linger on the other side of the corridor, admiring the way the moon reflected in the mirrored surface of the lake. Perhaps that would help take her mind off of things.

She continued down the corridor, eyes still peeled. As she rounded the corner, a flash of white teeth startled her.

Yanking her wand out, she thrust it in front of her. In the growing light from her wand, a familiar figure began to emerge.

'Easy Hermione, it's just me.'

She lowered her wand as her heart sped up considerably. Terry was seated on yet another windowsill. There was a languid ease to his posture. Arms crossed over what looked to be an expensive green jumper. Wool trousers that hugged his legs he'd crossed at the ankles. Curls gleaming like obsidian in the flickering glow.

Her throat when dry.

'You're out of bounds,' she managed to croak. Terry smiled at her.

'What are you going to do, report me?'

'I could,' she retorted. His smile grew wider.

'We both know you won't do that. Come, sit.' He patted the smooth stone beside him, white in the glow of the moon.

Hermione didn't appreciate the fact that Terry knew that she wouldn't turn him in. She also didn't like the fact that she obeyed his request and sat down on the windowsill so that they were facing each other.

'Much better,' he crooned softly, watching her as she settled back against the stonework.

'What do you want?' she asked. Normally she liked to have a little bit of control over the situation. She was hoping to gain some now.

'To know why you've been avoiding me.' Hermione felt her cheeks redden.

'I haven't been avoiding you,' she replied instantly. Terry lifted one brow to her.

'This castle isn't that big, Hermione. I know you've been keeping well shot of me.'

'I had things to do.'

'Like?'

'Studying.'

'Which you could do in the library.'

'I didn't want to be in the library.'

'You love the library.'

'Not all the time.'

Terry raised his other eyebrow. Hermione tried to avoid his eyes. The hickory of his irises smouldered at her with an intensity she wasn't sure she liked.

'I know you weren't avoiding Weasley.'

'What does that have to do with anything?' Hermione worked hard to keep the panic in her voice under control.

'Well he came looking for you in the library, and then I saw the two of you at dinner. So you clearly aren't trying to give him the shove.'

'He's my friend.'

'Aren't I?' Terry replied. He uncrossed his arms and leant towards her. It was reminiscent of the way Ron had come towards her earlier that afternoon, though their expressions couldn't have been more different. Ron's had been open, searching. Terry's seemed to smoulder with intensity, as though he wouldn't be content without an answer.

'Yes,' Hermione said. She took a moment to swallow. 'But it's very different. Ron and I have been friends for years. You and I…'

'So you haven't snogged Weasley then?'

The wind was knocked clear out of Hermione's lungs. Terry still had his eyebrow raised, but a smirk was curling around his lips. Surely he didn't know. Surely she was hiding how she felt about Ron from everybody.

'Honestly, it doesn't matter to me whether you have or haven't,' Terry continued, seeming to take pity on her for not being able to answer him immediately. With a smooth motion he put his arms back behind him, giving his head a pillow against the frame of the window. 'Just wanted to know whether you snogging me then running away was going to be a common thing.'

'Excuse me?'

'I mean, I can ask him, but-'

'I've never snogged Ron.' The words came out as a rush as fast as her heartbeat in her ears. She would say practically anything to avoid Terry talking to Ron about this.

'No? What about Potter?' Hermione leaned back, looking at Terry with disgust.

'No. Never.'

'So Rita was wrong about that too…' he trailed off, looking at Hermione as though she were a particularly tricky rune to decipher.

'What made you run yesterday?'

Hermione paused, picking at the skin around her thumb. Ron's name was flashing in her mind, a billboard for how much she wanted him. She didn't want Terry to have that information.

'It was…unexpected.' As far as answers went, it was far from her best. The burst of laughter that emerged from Terry surprised her nonetheless. She jerked her head up to see him quaking.

'Unexpected? How could that have been unexpected?'

'I didn't know you were going to kiss me!' Hermione retorted, the blush in her cheeks now deepening with anger. 'Pardon me for thinking that you just wanted to show me a portrait.' She huffed and crossed her arms tightly across her chest.

Terry ceased his laughter and looked at her.

'Just a portrait?'

'Well yes,' Hermione huffed further. 'It's not like you came straight out and told me you wanted to do…that.'

The last traces of mirth vanished from his face. Soft pity replaced it.

'I didn't know I'd need to.'

'What?'

'Hermione, I thought the last couple of weeks had made things clear.'

'Made what clear?' Hermione was flummoxed. Terry had been an excellent partner and a good intellectual sparrer. That much had been clear to her.

He unwound his hands from behind him and leaned forward once more. He shook his head towards her, leaning as he did so.

'That I fancy you like mad.'

It took her a moment to register the laughter she heard was coming from herself. How easy it had seemed for him. How little it took for him to say those words to her. Laying in bed, she had often tried to will herself to say the same thing to Ron. Even in her fantasies the words made her squirm. His cold reaction all she could picture.

'Why is that so hard to believe?'

Hermione looked at Terry. Frowning now, a little wrinkle of worry on his brow.

'People don't fancy me,' she replied slowly. Terry frowned further.

Hermione didn't understand. Terry seemed to have her confused for somebody else. Someone who could do their hair, or didn't have ink-stained fingers. Someone whose parents didn't reprimand them for studying magic too much, or going so far off the mainstream. Someone who didn't have to worry about her best friend being murdered by a dangerous psychopath. Normal girls, like Lavender or Ginny. Not Hermione.

'Viktor Krum did,' Terry replied. Hermione blushed at the mention of his name.

'He barely spoke English. His taking me to the Yule Ball was more to do with the fact that I was the only person at Hogwarts relatively bored of his fame than his affection for me.'

Terry stayed silent.

'I think you're confused,' Hermione continued. 'You just broke things off with Padma and-'

'Because she was a cow to you.'

Hermione froze once more.

'I heard the things she said about you, after Weasley and Brown broke up. Things that I know you'd never do. Why would I stay with someone who badmouthed you?'

'Don't say that,' Hermione begged.

'Why not? It's the truth. The way you've taken every verbal assault that's been thrown at you here? How you walk through the corridors as though you exist on an entirely different level than the rest of us? Who wouldn't look at you and be attracted?'

She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat.

'I mean, merlin, you had me from the moment you told me you could do a Protean charm.'

Hermione let out an involuntary giggle at the memory. How nervous she'd been to start up the D.A. How much she'd wanted to give Harry an outlet to feel better.

Terry smiled at the sound. 'What else do you want me to say to convince you?'

'I don't know,' Hermione answered, being truthful with him for once.

Tentatively he reached out a hand and touched her thigh. Light as a feather. She kept her arms crossed tightly, but made no motion to remove it.

'I want you,' he whispered. 'In whatever way you'll have me.'

Hermione felt all the blood rush to her face. His use of the word want seemed poignant in a way that made her somehow both uncomfortable and thrilled. He seemed to notice, as he gripped her leg tighter.

'Tell me that kiss yesterday wasn't brilliant,' he implored. She could see the moonlight glinting off his eyes now.

Imperceptively, so small that she could argue it was her horomones and not herself, she nodded.

'Tell me you don't want to do it again.'

Hermione felt numb. 'I can't.'

There was no hurt in Terry's face. If anything, it appeared as though he'd taken her last words as a challenge.

'Why not?'

Hermione sighed, and tried to keep yet more tears at bay.

'There's so much going on right now,' she began to say.

'Like exams?'

'Like a war,' she corrected. 'A war that like it or not my blood status means I need to care a little bit more about than most people.'

'All the more reason to date a pure-blood,' Terry argued back. His face pulled at the corner in a semblance of a smirk.

'I don't have the emotional capacity to see someone right now,' she continued.

'Who said anything about seeing someone?'

'I…what?' His latest change had left her bamboozled.

Terry moved his other hand so that it too slid across her robes. 'All I asked about was kissing.'

His fingers tightened and she felt herself being pulled along the bench towards him. Suddenly she was much closer. With her arms still crossed she felt her fingertips graze the front of his jumper. Now that she'd touched it, she recognized it as merino. So it was expensive. His cheeks were flushed from this angle. His tongue darted out to wet his lips.

'I won't let you run this time.'

For the second time, Terry leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. His lips were warm. He tasted like he'd had apple tart with dinner. She felt her arms uncross and wrap around his waist, even though part of her was screaming not to do it.

But damn him for being right. It did feel good to kiss him.

He broke it quickly, keeping his fingers gripped tightly against her legs.

'Your body doesn't lie, Hermione,' he hummed against her. 'Try and reason your way out of this all you want, but don't pretend like you don't like it.'

'But…I…' she trailed off, horrified with herself. Was he right? For all her talk of wanting Ron, was she going to do this?

Before she had a chance to think much further, Terry had grasped the back of her plait in one hand and brought her face closer to his.

'We can keep it secret if you want.' The words were a murmur against her lips. 'Nobody has to know.'

Now that was an intriguing thought. Having Harry or godric forbid Ron find out was not something she wanted at all.

'How?'

'We keep meeting like this.' Terry paused to take her bottom lip between his own. Hermione felt her lids flutter shut at the touch. 'We stay civil during the day. Partners, not interacting much in classes. But here, during your rounds…'

He trailed off as he placed a kiss on her chin. Then he blew a trail of cold air against her skin until his lips found a sweet spot against her neck. As they pressed harder, Hermione let out a small moan of pleasure. She could feel Terry's smile at the sound. He removed his lips and nuzzled her nose with his own.

'Well?' he asked. 'Are you up for that?'

'It's just…'

'My god,' he said, gripping her hair still harder. 'You think too much.'

And with that he kissed her again. Warmth flooded her body. Thoughts dissipated. He made her feel so good. Viktor had never had the wherewithal to try this. Nobody had.

'Do you want to keep snogging?' Terry asked as he pulled his lips away from hers to whisper. His breath hot in her ear.

'Yes,' Hermione breathed, barely aware to what she was agreeing.

'Brilliant.' With a quick nip that made her moan again, Terry took his face away.

'I'll be here on Wednesday then.' He grinned at her. She stared back at him, bewildered. 'See you around, Granger.'

Reaching behind him, he pulled Hermione's wrists apart and returned them. To her surprise and shock, he began walking away.

'Oh, and Hermione?' Terry called behind him as he strode off to where she could only assume the Ravenclaw tower was. 'Don't forget we still have a project to finish. I expect to see you in the library tomorrow morning. 8:30. Sharp.'

With a wink, he strode off. Hermione was left breathless and confused.

What in the name of Merlin's Pants had she just agreed to do?

A/N-Thank you for all the favourites and reviews! They really make my day. Hopefully I will be back to at least bi-monthly posting from now on (hooray for leaving toxic workplaces!) Lots of love to you all,

Ashy