Author's Note: Oops. This turned out longer than I thought it would be. That means horizontal lines for you guys again.


Hi Mum, Hi Dad,
How are you doing? I hope life isn't too boring without me at home ;-)
As the month is coming to an end slowly, I thought it was long overdue that I wrote to you again – but to be honest with you, my schoolwork kept me really busy this month, so I didn't have much time to write a letter. Sadly.
As you know, the big exams await me at the end of this year, so the teachers don't let us rest more than we absolutely need and.. well, it's only two weeks until the Halloween break. That means even more stress, as I've explained to you a couple of times.
Anyway, enough about my whinging. Let's discuss what really matters.
Before you ask, no, I haven't made a move on Harry yet. I know, I know, you guys came together pretty quickly, but if I rush things, I tend to mess them up. And I don't want to gamble with my heart.
I love him, I really do, and I'm still so happy for that particular realization, but that doesn't just give me the privilege to claim him as my boyfriend, just because I'd like to. No, no, no. I need a plan – and you know that.
Now, coming down from this emotional high, there are also quite a few worsenings here at Hogwarts:
1) That stupid ministry witch has begun to put other teachers on probation if they can't meet the ministry's "standards". The teacher for Divination, Professor Trelawney already got a taste of that.
2)Well, number two is actually a good thing that turned out to be something problematic: Now that it is decided that Harry will teach us students how to defend ourselves in the newly discovered room I already told you about last time, Harry and I are faced with the issue of organizing a meeting with all potential members WITHOUT anybody getting wind of it.
We thought about using the Room of Requirement on the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, but then it would be far too obvious if a significant number of older students remained in the castle on such a day. And not to speak of the risks under the week, of course.
Right now, I don't have an answer for this problem, and it's really bothering me: The longer we hesitate to start, the bigger is our enemy's advantage. You know who I mean, right?
3) And last but not least.. Harry is a bit sour right now, well, more than he normally is with all that stress in his life, because our ex-friend Ron made it into the Gryffindor quidditch team and as he phrased it, "It pisses me off.".
I'm not nagging him too much about it, but it doesn't take a genius to see that he's clearly struggling with his shared past with Ronald. But who can blame him?
I hope to hear from you soon and can't wait to see you for Christmas again. I really miss you – sometimes at least.
Lots of love,
Your daughter Hermione
P.S: Again, I survived my week of detention with Umbridge without any injuries. Thanks to Harry's plan. No need to worry, dad.

I looked up from the parchment in my hands and gazed at the lake's surface in front of me, my breath visible in the cool autumn air.

"I really did survive her detention without a scratch." I thought with a small smile.

The plan had been really simple: On the first day of Harry and my detention, Fred and George had let off a few harmless fireworks in the corridor outside of Umbridge's office, which made the ministry witch temporarily leave her office.

In that short time, we had duplicated our blood quills, creating two identical-looking replicas, which weren't bewitched since duplication spells could only multiply objects, and not curses or spells.

We then had hidden the real quills in our bags and I bewitched our replicas so they would write on their own. With blood-red ink of course.

It had been risky, especially because the lack of injuries actually should have made her suspicious, but it seemed like Umbridge cared so little about us that she didn't even notice our unscratched hands.

And even she had noticed, we would have come up with something convincing. As long as she couldn't prove us wrong, she had to accept our lies.

"How late is it again? I've been writing this letter for quite some time now." I asked myself and turned my head to the right, the clock tower of Hogwarts soon telling me that it was five to four in the afternoon, which made my pupils dilate.

"Ups, you better hurry now." I thought as I got up from the tree trunk I had occupied for the past thirty minutes or so.

It was Friday and in precisely five minutes the quidditch practice of the Gryffindor house team would start. And I was anywhere but near the stands.

"What a best friend you are, Granger." I told myself as I began jogging up the hill.

I had promised Harry that I would watch the practice session of our house and I was intent to keep that promise. Even if the practice usually started five minutes late I saw no reason to not be punctual and unnerve the Gryffindor seeker with my absence. Especially with Ron now on the house team, he needed my support to keep his anger at bay.

I couldn't tell if it was Angelina's bad organization or the unpunctuality of the team that always delayed the training session, but no matter who caused it, one thing was clear: Training actually started five minutes past four.

"Look who seems to join me today: The brightest witch of her age. Though she seems to be not as punctual as usual.." Ginny greeted me when I had climbed up one of the stands, the cold air burning a bit inside my lungs after climbing up countless stairs. Why did quidditch have to be played in the skies again?

"Nah, I just lost track of the time. I was writing to my parents, which usually ends in quite lengthy paragraphs, ha ha." I told the redhead and sat down next to her.

"What an exemplary daughter you are, Hermione.." She said and I chuckled.

"If you say so."

A few moments later the Gryffindor team entered the pitch and loud applause and cheering erupted from wherever fans of the house team were seated.

"Harry looks really hot in those robes, wouldn't you agree?" Ginny caught me off-guard and I just squeaked lightly, her words making me act silly for some stupid reason.

"Dammit feelings, you don't have to be so obvious!" I scolded myself mentally.

"I beg your pardon?!" I asked and earned myself a laugh from the Weasley girl.

"Hermione, you don't have to act this way. I know you have the hots for him.", She admitted, which made matters easier and harder at the same time, "It's not that hard to see."

I ignored her last comment and got straight to the point.

"And how do you know?" I asked, knowing that it was useless to deny what was the truth anyway.

"Your little squeak just confirmed it.", The redhead giggled and I mentally face-palmed myself for my stupidity, "But I suspected something ever since the summer at Grimmauld Place. I just needed a good opportunity to prove my guess."

She grinned evilly at me and I sighed.

"At least you had the decency to not do it in front of the entire house. I'm not really interested in making it public knowledge." I stated and Ginny gave me a compassionate look.

"I know how.. strange it feels when other people unveil your deepest secrets and wishes. That's why I wanted to "ask" you when nobody else was around." She explained and I had to admit she was right: We were alone on our stand.

"That's very nice of you. Thanks.", I said before a question appeared in my head, "By the way, do you still have a crush on him?"

"Yes I do. I know, I'm not actively trying to get closer to him, but that's because I don't want to take him away from you." Ginny explained and my eyes widened.

I wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do that, but when I thought about how devastated I would feel if my one and only love was with another woman, slept with another woman, I reconsidered. No, I would be that person.

"That is.. incomparably kind, Ginny." I said with a voice filled with gratitude, "But why this sense of honour? You theoretically have every right to do as you please concerning this matter."

"I might have feelings for Harry, but I can see that we wouldn't work in the long term. And I don't want to experience heartbreak, not when it's the man I've dreamt about for years even before our temporary relationship. That break-up would haunt me for years to come." She said with a sad smile.

"You're quite mature for your age when it comes to such things, you know that?" I told her and thought about if I had been so reflected last year. Probably not.

"That means a lot to me when it comes from the brightest witch of her age." Ginny remarked and I laughed lightly.

"Don't change the topic yet. I've got another question for you:", I announced and took a breath, "Why do you think that you and Harry wouldn't work? And do you give way for me because you think Harry and I would work?"

"Well, during summer I kind of realized how.. different he is from the way I tended to imagine. His scars, his problems, his past.. I have to admit that I just wouldn't be strong enough to build him up again and again – and not to speak of his angry mode. I don't think I could calm him down when he truly loses it. Though you can.", Ginny gave me an admiring look, "And yes, that's one of the reasons why I believe you and Harry would work. Though it needs more than just physical attraction for that, I'm sure you know that."

"I know..", I sighed, "Um, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, that's what friends are for." The readhead encouraged me and I shot her a look of gratitude.

"I am in love with him." I told her my deepest secret with confidence, knowing that Ginny Weasley would know how to juggle with such a valuable piece of information.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you! It must feel so exciting, right? Tell me, since when do you know? And do you think he loves you too? When are you gonna tell him?" The redhead stormily embraced me in a way that reminded me of her mother's hugs and I giggled as I gasped for air.

"No matter how mature, she still is a fourteen-year-old teenage girl." I thought.

"Ginny! Let me breathe for god's sake!" I laughed and the Weasley loosened her grip so that I wouldn't suffocate.

"Um.. please don't tell anybody. I would like to do that part myself." I added when I thought about quickly gossip travelled through Hogwarts. Even when I thought that Ginny wouldn't tell everybody, I still had to be sure. Safety first.

"I'll be as silent as a tomb." She promised with an honest tone.

"Good. Now, what were your questions again?" I asked with a sheepish tone when the redhead released me from her embrace and she hummed as she gathered her thoughts again.

"How does it feel to love Harry romantically?" She asked and I took a deep breath.

"I think one of the most crucial aspects is the word "unconditional". My loyalty to him is unconditional, I help him with whatever he needs help with at any moment he needs help and I trust him with my life. Then there's the way he makes me feel, how my heart is singing when he's around, how everything is so much better with him and how much at home I feel with him by my side. And of course, I often have a hard time to not snog him when he's close to me." I gave her a detailed explanation and Ginny smiled warmly.

"You're absolutely, seriously, madly in love it seems." She remarked and the corners of my mouth quirked upwards on their own.

"Alright, next question: What happened to the Hermione from the summer break that denied every accusation of being in love with her best friend? Since when do you know you love him?"

"I guess the doubts about my feelings, my TRUE feelings, just dammed up ever since the holidays and it was only a matter of time until I would see the truth. Gradually but steadily, the signs accumulated and on my birthday I realized the true nature of my feelings. Fate, it seems." I chuckled lightly as I recalled the scenario, me and him sitting on a couch. Him giving me this special photo album that turned the level inside of me.

"ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?! Hermione, you're so lucky." Ginny was genuinely happy for me and it warmed my heart.

"And do you think he loves you too?" She added with a mysterious whisper and I shrugged my shoulders.

"The thing is: How do I know?", I asked, "Because as I know now, love can have different forms and shapes. Platonic love, romantic love, familial love.. you get the point."

"Ask him out. I guess it's the only way of finding out." Ginny suggested and my eyes widened in horror.

"No way! What if he says no?! I couldn't survive that.", I countered before sighing, "But at least you seem to agree that Harry's affection for me is more the platonic case."

"Well, he looks at your bum quite often for that." Ginny remarked dryly and I rolled my eyes, despite the way I mentally smirked at her statement.

"As you've said yourself: It takes more than physical attraction for a working relationship."

"Wait, you KNOW about that?!" The Weasley girl asked because of my unspectacular reaction and I chuckled.

"Tell me something I don't know." I teased.

"Quite a few people stare at you these days." Ginny stated and now I gasped.

"Please tell me you're kidding!" I pleaded but the redhead shook her head with a sad sigh.

"I wish I was lying but I'm not.. You seem to be quite popular amongst the male population of Hogwarts." Ginny said and I shuddered.

"Bah, now I really feel a bit uncomfortable." I admitted and the Weasley gave me a comforting smile.

"I guess that's the price of being an attractive woman, Hermione. You can't control who is lusting after you." She said and I agreed with a short nod.

"But wait.. you think I'm attractive?!" I asked when I realized what Ginny just had said and she laughed in amusement.

"Yes Hermione, you are. Blonde-brown hair, fawn-brown eyes, creamy-white skin.. I can imagine that's hard to resist as a male." She said with an almost neutral tone and I blushed: Never had I seen myself in such a way before.

"If you say so.." I responded with a high-pitched voice.

"Don't feel too bad because you look good. Rather see the advantages of it." Ginny advised and I laughed heartily.

"How on earth do you know such stuff?" I asked, dying to know that answer now.

"My mum talks a lot about such stuff. Always says that I'll be stunner when I'm older.", The forth-year laughed, "But you know how mothers work: They always see their offspring as the best thing that ever happened to planet earth."

"Might be true, but she's right, you know?" I complimented and Ginny's face lit up.

"Thanks Hermione."

We then fell silent for a moment and I realized that I hadn't paid any attention to the on-going training session since my conversation with the Weasley girl had started.

"So this is girls-talk..", I said more to myself than to the young woman next to me, "We should do that again, Ginny."

That definitely was addressed to the redhead…

It was already late in the evening when Harry and I sat at one of the tables in the common room and worked on our homework. Homework that we had given ourselves.

As I had promised on my birthday, I had begun teaching my best friend the art of necromantic runes, and as expected it turned out to be a difficult matter – not that Harry was a slow learner, but the language itself was hard to learn.

The books I had borrowed from the Black's library in London were spread all across the table, ranging from mere dictionaries to tomes that explained which rune was equivalent to which Latin letter, both our noses buried in one of them. And yet I couldn't concentrate for once.

"How could I invite people to a secret meeting without looking suspicious? And where would that meeting take place if I even get so far?" I asked myself mentally, the question one of the more nagging in the last couple of days.

"We even have a room for our defence practice sessions, and one should think that's the hardest part.." I continued and toyed with the quill in my right hand.

"I think the Hogsmeade weekend next week IS the right time to make a move on that front, but.. Ah, I just should inform myself about all the pubs in Hogsmeade and see if I can find something adequate. I'm sure.."

"Hermione, I'm quite sure "prumo" means "we", but here they use "pruma". Do you know why they have different endings?" Harry interrupted my thoughts and I looked up from my book, glimpsing a few times to refocus on the young man to my side.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts, can you repeat that?"

""Prumo" means "we", right?", He asked and I nodded, "But here they use "pruma". What's the difference?"

"The ending decides the gender. If you use "pruma", then it means that everybody you include in the "we" is female. But the moment one of those people is a male, then you use "prumo". Quite sexist, isn't it?" I explained and Harry agreed with a hum.

"Though to be honest: What do you expect from a "dark" language? It has to be bad in more than just one way, ey?", Harry stated before he sighed, "Why can't we all just be humans? No pure-bloods and half-bloods, no men and women, no white and black people.. just humans."

"I couldn't agree more with you." I said and looked at him admiringly: He always had such a distinctive sense of tolerance despite all the bad that happened in his life.

"And thank you.. for answering my question." He added and scratched the back of his head, something I found incredibly adorable.

"No big deal, Harry." I smiled at him and saw his eyes lightening up subtly.

"Might I answer your question in exchange nonetheless?" He asked with a grin and a playful tone that had me chuckling.

"You always know what I'm thinking, hm?" I more stated than asked and couldn't help but think that this was one of the many reasons why I loved him.

"A man that knows when his woman is stricken, isn't that just wonderful?" I asked myself, inwardly beaming.

"Well, concerning how much time I spend with you, I think it's a must for me. Otherwise you'd have a proof that I don't pay attention to you as a person." Harry responded and I chuckled.

"How academic you can sound."

"Must be another side effect of spending time with you."

"Was that a praise or an insult?"

"Who knows."

We both laughed for a moment and I relished in the feeling of how good it felt to share a laugh with him. Yes, with him I felt carefree.

"Now come on, before we completely forget what I asked." Harry said after some time and I giggled.

"Alright, you prat. I was thinking about how to invite people to a secret meeting without looking suspicious." I told him with a lowered voice and my best friend scratched his chin in thought.

"You mean a secret meeting to discuss "my" defence lessons?" He responded and I nodded, my glance wandering across the room to make sure nobody was observing us.

"Correct. And if you have any suggestions for that meeting place then I'd be glad to hear them." I added before Harry fell silent for a moment.

"What about an invitation letter? Nobody would suspect something when a student gets a letter at breakfast." He suggested but I shook my head.

"Nope, I already thought about that. Umbridge might intercept all the post and mail. We don't want that." I countered and Harry sighed.

"Um.. maybe YOU don't have to this. What if you.. entrust somebody else with the task?"

"You mean I should tell somebody to tell potentially interested students that you and I are going to host a secret meeting?!" I asked, not entirely sure I got his point.

"Yeah, exactly. Somebody that is trustworthy and is more.. subtle than we two are." Harry elaborated and I hummed as I pondered about my decision.

"But who fulfils all these criteria?" I asked aloud and the raven-haired wizard shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's think about that for a moment." He announced and I nodded, slightly amused by his obvious words.

"Ugh, I think it's easier to sort out those who don't fulfil the criteria." I concluded after what felt like minutes of futile attempts to find a solution.

"You're right, that's way easier..", Harry agreed with a light chuckle, "So let's see: Ron, no, Seamus, no, Dean, no, Neville.., nah, he's too shy for that. What about the Gryffindor girls?"

"Are you kidding me? Never in a thousand years!" I declared and Harry raised a brow.

"Why not? I don't think they're too bad."

"Yeah, they might not look too bad, but that doesn't make them reliable." I countered and saw the pain flashing across his emerald discs.

"Hey.. you just insinuated something, didn't you?" He hesitantly asked with a clearly hurt voice and I instantly regretted my impulsive response. Love could be a bitch at times.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." I apologized and gave him my most sincere and irresistible look.

"It's alright.. They're not my type anyway, between you and me." Harry admitted with shy eyes and my stomach churned pleasantly as the spark that was hope ignited a bright fire inside of me.

"That doesn't have to mean much, but at least he doesn't like the other Gryffindor girls!" I told myself and had to resist the urge to clap in excitement.

"So.. who do you think we could ask?" My best friend reminded me of our initial question and as my gaze wandered across the common room I soon noticed two familiar redheads sitting in front of what looked like the wizard version of a poker game.

"Fred and George." I stated and Harry made a disbelieving sound.

"THEM? Inconspicuous?!" He exclaimed and I nodded with determination.

"Yup. They are so suspicious that they are inconspicuous." I explained and Harry raised a brow.

"You know I trust your judgement, but since when are you that kind of person?" He asked and I laughed.

"Seems like you don't know everything about me after all, Mr. Potter." I teased and then his eyes darkened suddenly.

"I wish I did.." He whispered, a hint of.. desire in his voice.

"Every.. girl has her secrets." I countered and desperately tried to fight against the inferno of hot need inside myself, feeling how quickly his words affected my body, making it respond to him.

"Every.. person has it's secrets." Harry altered my statement and I quickly nodded, very glad for his rescue from this truly tormenting situation.

From this moment on, it was clear to me that we both were physically attracted to each other.

I also knew that he knew about my desire for him just as I knew about his for me. It was a non-verbal agreement: We both knew and accepted it, but never would speak about it. Which was an acceptable compromise. For now…


"Now, it's one p.m. and there's still not a soul in sight. Do you really think Fred and George did as we told them?" A nervous Harry Potter asked me eight days later when we were sitting at a table in the "Three Broomsticks", a Butterbeer in each our hand.

"Usually people tend to be five minutes late no matter what, so calm down. I'm sure everything will be alright." I told my best friend who snorted as his eyes travelled across the very crowded pub.

"Yeah, that is if nobody spies on us in such a public place." He dryly stated and I sighed.

"Harry, trust me: The noisier our environment, the harder it is to eavesdrop on us. And you gotta see it like that: Who the hell would be crazy enough to discuss classified things in such a crowded place, especially during lunchtime?" I explained and Harry muttered a "You're crazy Hermione.", which I simply ignored.

"Cheers, you two." The twins suddenly came into view, a mug of Butterbeer in hand, and settled down at the opposite side of the table. They raised their mugs and toasted with us.

"Hey Harry, everything alright? You look a bit stressed." George said after a big gulp of beer and the raven-haired wizard smiled weakly.

"He's just nervous that nobody will come, which would lead him to think very poorly of himself." I explained before my best friend could open his mouth and Fred laughed.

"Don't worry mate, Lee is bringing them in in small groups so it doesn't look suspicious." The Weasley explained and Harry's eyes widened.

"How many people are you talking about exactly when they have to come in in small groups?" He asked, his tone slightly panicked, and the twins shared a meaningful glance.

"You'll see soon enough." They said in unison and I suddenly had a really good feeling about my decision to entrust the twins with this highly important matter…

Just as announced, it didn't take long for the students to arrive. And oh my god, there were many.

So many in fact, that we were forced to relocate to another, less crowded room in the pub. Less crowded being relative at such a time of the day.

"Neville, Dean, Ginny, Luna, Parvati, Padma, Lavender, Alicia, Katie, Angelina.. How many people are here?!" I mentally counted and stopped after realizing that there were a lot more than the people I just listed in my head.

Although the majority of this group were Gryffindors, there also were quite a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, including none other than Cho Chang, who immediately searched for Harry, which made me narrow my eyes.

"Oh no, I don't tolerate any competition." I thought and quickly yet subtly moved my chair closer to Harry's, who luckily didn't seem to notice as his eyes were fixed on a certain redhead.

"Ron?!" I mentally asked myself and glimpsed twice like I was making sure he wasn't an illusion.

"What's he doing here?" I heard Harry whispering to George who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno. Seems to me he's here because of the same reason that everybody else is here." He responded and Harry gritted his teeth for a second.

"I just hope he doesn't do something stupid." My best friend said and the twins sighed.

"We know he's an asshole, but we rather have him on our side than as an enemy. Would you rather like it if he snitched us to Umbridge?", Fred asked, "Listen, we're on your side, man. But you can't kick him out because you can't stand him, even if your reasoning is understandable. He insulted you and Hermione in ways that damaged your friendship with him beyond repair and now he's on the house team, constantly reminding you of your shared past. But this has nothing to do with your personal businesses."

"You're right. This has nothing to do with my personal dislike, he isn't here because of me and this is like an employment relationship.", Harry admitted and I admired him for his self-control in this situation, "Though that doesn't mean he can treat Hermione like shit again."

"Trust me, if he does we'll take care of him." George assured my best friend with a pat on his back, who then took a deep breath.

"Do you think everybody's here now?" He asked and the twins chuckled.

"Give them five minutes to get a beer or a snack and then the stage is yours, all-mighty Saint Potter." Fred teased and Harry actually blushed because of the nickname, which was adorable.

"Don't call me like that, people already think I'm mad."

Harry then turned to me and leant in to whisper into my ear.

"Hermione, what if those people are here solely because they think I'm gonna say something about how Cedric died and all this rumour stuff?" He asked, his tone a mixture of annoyance and fear, and I put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"If they do, always remember you have me by your side. We can handle this together. We're a team, remember?" I told him and actually wanted to say "We're a couple", but fortunately I found the restraint to not babble out my secret.

"Yeah, you're right. We're a team." His confidence returned as the emerald orbs that were his pair of eyes lit up. He clenched a fist as a means to express his certainty and narrowed his eyes on me in a focusing manner. He was ready, I could see that.

After a few minutes the last duo of friends was seated around Harry and myself, and Fred then proceeded by lightly tapping a spoon against his mug, causing everybody to look at the redhead.

"I hope you guys are still sober enough to listen, 'cause those two have something to tell you about." He humorously greeted everybody and as the group chuckled, I glanced across the pub, looking for anybody who might potentially spy on us. I mentally sighed when I saw nobody doing that.

I then met Harry's eyes and just as planned, he nodded and I took it as my sign to start the speech.

"Well, first of all.. Hi.", I ineloquently started and saw some raising their beer mugs as way to greet back, "Secondly: Do you all know why you're here?"

There was a wild mixture of voiced agreement and disagreement, so I decided it was best to clarify things for everybody.

"Alright, so to put it in a nutshell: Harry and I had the idea that we have to take matters into our own hands when it comes to Defence Against the Dark Arts this year. Professor Umbridge's lessons are nothing but rubbish and we need to learn how to study, how to REALLY study the subject.. on a practical level." I explained and quite a few people whistled at my valiant exclamations.

"Ah, you want to practice defensive magic because you know that there is a practical part in the OWL in DADA. That's smart." A boy called Michael Corner said and from the corner of my mouth I could see Harry gritting his teeth lightly.

"Uh oh, Harry doesn't like it when other boys praise me." I reminded myself and mentally smirked.

"He's definitely interested in you, even if it's just physical as far as I know. Though it still feels GREAT." I thought and decided to tease my best friend just a bit.

"Thanks Michael, but the intention is far more important than a mere graduation paper: We want to learn how to defend ourselves so we can survive in the real world." I declared and watched as Harry tensed when I thanked the Ravenclaw boy. I was quite pleased with the result.

"Has this something to do with the rumour that.. HE is back?" Angelina asked and I nodded as I tried to make myself look as tall as my short body allowed it.

"Yes, it does. And it's not a rumour, it's nothing but the raw and blunt reality: V-Voldemort has returned." I used his name for the first time as the most different kinds of reactions could be seen in the room:

Neville coughed, Ginny squeaked lightly, Luna nodded and Harry looked at me with pride radiating from his shining eyes. Something that made me feel warm around the heart.

"Where is the proof that you-know-who is back?" A blond boy whose name I didn't know asked and Harry snorted. I explicitly ignored him.

"Harry has seen him. Harry has duelled him." I declared and several people gasped.

"You can claim all kinds of shit if you can't prove it wrong." The Hufflepuff continued and Harry clenched his fists angrily.

"And why should I do that? You saw exactly how I returned with Cedric Diggory's dead body from the.. place where Voldemort was and you've heard what happened to Alastor Moody. Isn't that proof enough for you or do you want the details? Do you want to know how it pleased him, the prospect of murdering two teenagers and torturing one with the Cruciatus curse?!" Harry talked himself into a rage and the group of students became unbearably silent.

"Everybody who just got here for some exclusive information about what happened last year can leave now, I'm not gonna say another word about the topic." Harry announced with a challenging glare that turned into an expression of surprise when nobody left.

"So.. Now that we've all agreed on the fact that it is necessary for us to learn how to use defensive magic, we need to settle on a teacher. Harry has already agreed to be that person, if you don't have any objections." I continued, pushing the conversation closer to a conclusion.

"I think that's perfect. Who else would be more fitting? I mean, he has slain a basilisk in his second year!" Ginny enthusiastically voiced her agreement and I watched how a collective "WOW" went through the crowd.

"Yeah, Ginny is right! He also saved that Philosopher's Stone from You-Know-Who in our first year!" Neville added and Harry looked a bit uncomfortable with all the praising.

"And last year, he went through all the obstacles of the Triwizard-Tournament, fighting all kinds of magic creatures. How he outflew the dragon is burnt into my mind forever." Cho more flirted than stated and I did my best not to kill her with my glare, especially when I saw Harry scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"And he can conjure a corporeal patronus since he's thirteen years old." A new voice announced itself, and as I turned my head, my eyes widened: The voice belonged to no other than to Daphne Greengrass.

Daphne Greengrass was a Slytherin girl from my year, white-blonde hair and cool blue eyes, averagely tall but slender and slim, and I knew her superficially from the Ancient Runes and Arithmancy courses we shared. She actually was quite pleasant during lessons, as she didn't behave as stupid as the rest of her house. But next to that, I didn't know a thing about the girl.

"What is a Slytherin doing here? She's so gonna snitch us to Umbridge!" The Hufflepuff boy exclaimed and Harry groaned.

"Shut up, uh.. what's your name actually?"

"Zacharias Smith."

"Shut up, Zacharias!"

Quite a few people snickered because of Harry's words.

"So, um.. It's quite unexpected to have a Slytherin amongst our rows." I told the pretty girl and she smiled kindly.
"I can understand your mixed feelings about seeing a snake here at a rebellious meeting.", She admitted, "But I promise you, I do not seek to harm any of you. I'm here because of the same reason that everybody else is here: Because I want to change something."

"But who invited you?", Michael Corner asked, "No offence, but it's not like any of us would have the idea to invite a Slytherin along."

"Actually there is somebody.", Susan Bones declared, "I did. Daphne is my friend."

"Aha. And how does a snake become the friend of a badger?" Michael countered but I quickly intervened.

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is.."

"No, it's alright.", Daphne gave me a small smile, "Susan's aunt and my mother both work in the same department of the ministry. And because they know each other well, we know each other well." She explained.

"And how is it that nobody ever knew of that?" Zacharias asked and I groaned.

"Because people only perceive what they want to perceive. That's why the ministry is denying the dark lord's return." Luna answered and reminded me why she was a Ravenclaw.

"Alright now, can we all just accept that there are good Slytherin in the world?" I concluded this quarrel and sighed when the group nodded, although some still were hesitant.

"Daphne, you're more than welcome here. If somebody should treat you badly, tell me and I'll jinx that person." I declared and many people whistled, my famous temper giving my argument some real power.

"Do you know how to defend yourself Hermione?" Dean asked and I nodded as I glanced towards Harry.

"Yes, Harry taught me." I answered, more or less telling the truth. During the summer he had been my sparring partner, so he kind of taught me.

Against all expectations, the majority of people started laughing, including Daphne and the older girls like Alicia or Katie, and I furrowed my brows until it dawned on me.

"People and their stupid allusions..", I thought to myself as some made an "uhhh" sound, "Especially now when they're right."

"That's. Not. Funny."

Harry had gotten up from his seat and eyed every laughing person with a dead-serious glance, effectively silencing everybody with just his gaze. Those eyes really could do everything.

"Do you know why I had to teach her?" Harry asked without as much as a trace of humour in his voice. Neville hesitantly raised his hand.

"Because of You-Know-Who?" He asked and my best friend nodded briefly.

"Yes, indeed. Voldemort will do everything in his power to get to me, and by attacking my best friend, he weakens me. So I did my best to prevent this from ever happening." Harry explained and I saw a lot of eyes widening. Some people probably realized the harshness of reality for the very first time in their life in this specific moment.

"We all know the classical villain from books and movies. Always hunting the hero, sending his minions to destroy him, whatever.", Harry added and I suddenly was very curious what he would say next, "But let me tell you how a villain in real life looks like:"

"Voldemort isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, he is desperate to achieve his goals and he doesn't know the word "cruel". Murdering innocents, sacrificing his servants for his ambitions, remorselessness.. Whatever the worst is that you can imagine, well, that's him."

"Villains hunt heroes, and Voldemort hunts me, but I am no hero. I'm just trying to survive this mad, fucking world he created with his stupid ideology.", Harry proclaimed, "And I'm going to help everybody who wishes to do the same."

People clapped, not out of respect, but because they felt inspired. I quickly checked if other people were observing the scene and to my horror my fear turned into reality. Several people were looking.

"Harry just announced that he'll get us all a Butterbeer!" Fred quickly and loudly exclaimed, which diverted all the unwanted attention from us.

"Really? Now I gotta pay around twenty-five Butterbeer because of you or these people will suspect something!" Harry groaned loudly and rummaged in his bag for the required money.

"We'll pay you back once we're back in the castle. You won't believe it, but our products are quite profitable." George calmed my upset best friend and winked at me. They always had to rub it under my nose how successful the products were I didn't approve of.

"You're still a twat, y'know that?" Harry mumbled nonetheless as he gave Fred the money, making me snap out of my grumbling.

"Alright guys, with a chosen leader and a common cause there are only two things left: When do we practice and how do we call our organization?" I continued as the Weasley twin walked away to order the incredible amount of twenty-five Butterbeer.

"One thing is clear: It can't collide with the quidditch training times." Angelina announced and Cho hummed in agreement.

"She's right about that." She said and I groaned.

"What is it everybody loves about that stupid sport? Football is way cooler.. and far less dangerous." I thought.

"Fine, that at least gives us a vague idea about the time.", I said, "Any specific suggestions?"

What followed next was an unexpectedly fiery discussion about the time of the training sessions, and the tempers only cooled when Fred arrived with Butterbeer for everyone.

"Drink up everyone, Harry graciously paid for you." The redhead joked and at least my best friend received a collective "Thanks Harry" in return.

"Well, it should increase his popularity as our leader.", I thought to myself with a smirk as I watched his annoyed expression, "Sometimes it's so easy to piss him off."

"Did I miss anything important?" Fred then asked me as he handed me my second mug of beer and I nodded.

"We just settled on the time for the first training session. Nine p.m. on Wednesdays." I told the Weasley twin our most recent agreement, who hummed in response.

"Speaking of agreements, has anybody a suggestion for a name of our organization that we all can agree on?" I asked the crowd, and to my surprise, Daphne raised her hand.

"Yes Daphne?"

"The Phoenix Pinions?" The blue-eyed girl suggested and I wasn't the only one whose pupils were dilating: This was poetic.

"Sounds beautiful, but why a phoenix?" Lavender asked and Daphne grinned, probably happy to explain her reasoning.

"My mum always tells me that the minister fears that Dumbledore builds up an army of students to dethrone him, which of course is utter rubbish. But since we more or less do as Fudge fears, we might as well make fun of his paranoia by poetically declaring ourselves to his arch-enemy Dumbledore. And since he has a phoenix, we can use it as a symbol. A phoenix is quite ambiguous as well, so.. what do you think?" Daphne proved why she was in Slytherin and I was honestly amazed by her logic. She could have been in Ravenclaw as well in my opinion.

"I love it." I exclaimed and clapped my hands happily, the snake's face lightening up at my praise.

"Yeah, great job, Daphne.", Harry seconded my motion, "Anybody against the name?"

"Yeah, what about "Dumbledore's Army"?" Zacharias asked and I snorted.

"Yeah, how obvious do you want to make it, hm?", I asked the Hufflepuff as I pulled a certain piece of parchment out of my bag, "Especially if this list should be found by the wrong person."

"That's just an empty piece of parchment!" Zacharias countered and the twins groaned in annoyance.

"Zac, open your mouth again and your clothes will magically disappear during dinner today." George declared and the blonde boy shut up.

"On this piece of parchment, I'm going to write down our name and each member will have to sign on it. But be warned: If you sign, you suffer the consequences should you violate the rules. I've magically bewitched it just this morning." I proudly announced but some people still were confused.

"And what are the rules?" Parvati asked and I giggled evilly.

"Well, actually there is only one rule right now: Don't snitch or you'll regret it.", I explained, "So, who wants to join?"

I then unfolded the parchment and wrote down our name in capital letters.

THE PHOENIX PINIONS
An organization founded by Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger

"This is your big moment, folks.", Fred announced with a chuckle, "Time to become something greater than just a miserable git."

After Harry and I had signed the parchment, it travelled across the room until everybody had written down their name.

When I held the list in my hands again and gazed at all the different names and signatures, I couldn't help but grin smugly: This felt like a formal declaration of war.

"Um, I don't wanna be rude but.. where will we meet? I couldn't tell you a place that's safe from Umbridge in the castle." Ginny asked and I mentally thanked the redhead for the question. Almost forgot that part.

"On the seventh floor in the castle there is a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach the trolls ballet. Opposite of that, there is a wall. You must walk three times past it and think of a room where you can learn to defend yourselves. Then a door should appear.", I explained and when I was met with a dozen bemused pair of eyes, I quickly elaborated, "Look, this room we're talking about only shows itself when it's seeker is in great need of it. That's why it's called the Room of Requirement – because it can always adapt to the seeker's needs. And if you think about a room that is unplottable and can teach you how to defend yourselves, then the room will transform into this exact shape."

"So if I wanted the room to become a quidditch pitch.. would that work?" Cho asked, eyes wide with amazement, and I nodded.

"Correct. All you need is the imagination to, well, imagine the room you need." I confirmed and the crowd muttered excitedly.

"Just make sure nobody suspects a thing when you go to the Room of Requirement or when you leave and head back to your common rooms." Harry concluded and looked at me, seeking permission to finish this highly successful meeting. I nodded lightly and he shot me a quick smile.

"So, if nobody has any questions left, we'll see each other on Wednesday at nine p.m. in the Room of Requirement. Thanks for coming and don't trumpet around what we're doing. Sadly, we're living in a time where self-defence is frowned upon." The raven-haired wizard dramatically ended the pub-meeting and the applause only was kept to a minimum because we didn't want to make a scene again.

The students then left as they came into the pub, in small groups, and when I saw a certain white-blonde girl making her way to the exit of the "Three Broomsticks", I excused myself from my best friend and followed her outside. It was time to correct a mistake made a long time ago.

"I'll wait for you on the centre square, 'Mione!" He called after me and I mildly blushed, the way he shortened my name almost sounding like a pet name to me. He also was the only person who was allowed to call me Mione.

"Hey Daphne, can I have a word with you, please?" I asked the Slytherin girl, who spun around and eyed me with apparent surprise in her face.

"Uh, sure." She agreed and when I noticed her nervous expression, I smiled at her.

"Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong."

I then lead her away from the centre of the village, the white-blonde girl silently walking next to me.

We stopped at a bench just outside the perimeter of Hogsmeade and I gestured her to sit down before I myself took a seat.

"Daphne, I want to be honest with you: I'm sorry that I've never realized before what a nice person you are." I confessed and looked the Slytherin girl directly into her blue eyes.

"Thank you, Hermione. I never thought the day might come where a Gryffindor compliments a Slytherin.", She said with a shy smile before continuing, "But don't see that as a reproach. It's hard to see clearly with all the prejudices and to put the differences aside. The concept of having houses sometimes divides us more than it does unite us."

"That's what I wanted to say as well: I think because I associate Slytherin with people like Malfoy or Crabbe and Goyle, I completely shut my eyes to the nice people. People like you.", I told her, "But why did you never try to talk to any of us before? I'm sure you've seen that many of the people who attended the meeting are friendly as well."

"When it comes to talking to people I don't or just barely know, I'm quite shy.", She admitted and I gave her a compassionate smile, "Although I always suspected you have a good heart and soul."

"Often those who have experienced discrimination are the most tolerant." I told her and Daphne sighed sadly.

"You mean because you're a muggleborn witch? I hate that pureblood bigotry although I come from a noble house." She explained and my eyes widened.

"Why did I never realize that before? I knew House Greengrass belongs to the noble and ancient houses, but never did I associate it with you!", I exclaimed, "And how's the climate in your family because of your opinion? The Malfoy family clearly would disinherit you for that."

"The Malfoys are the dumbest people with the highest amount of money I know.", Daphne snorted, "But well.. My family is kind of split in two political camps, if you want to call it like that. My mother's family hates the bigotry and my father's family endorses it."

"How did your parents marry if they think so differently about the world?" I asked, my mouth agape.

"I'd rather not speak about the topic, if you can forgive me.." She averted her gaze from me and instead looked into the distant landscape of Scottish nature.

"It's alright. I won't nag you about things you don't want to tell me on your own." I soothed the girl next to me and patted her back softly.

"You're a great leader, you know?" Daphne then looked at me with an admiring smile that warmed my heart.

"You mean because of what I've said during the meeting? Ha, Harry is our leader. I'm just his second in command, if you want to phrase it like that."

"No. Harry is our leader because you built him up to be that person he is now. His strength was and is your work, his passion is solely ignited because of your fire. I can see that." She told me and I let her words sink in, her opinion a perspective I had never seen before.

"I don't want to say that Harry is nothing without you, but he owes you quite a lot of his confidence and drive. I can still recall how reserved he was in our first year, a lot has changed since you two became friends." Daphne elaborated and I nodded, accepting that I played a bigger role in this play than I wanted to admit.

"You're really cunning. I think that explains why you're a Slytherin.", I praised, "And quite a ferocious observer of my best friend, if I might add."

At my last remark, the white-blonde girl blushed.

"Hermione.. how close are you really to Harry? I just can't believe it that you're just best friends.." Daphne asked and I sighed.

"Should I tell her?"

"Are we friends, Daphne?" I asked and the Slytherin shyly averted her gaze again.

"I don't know. Do you want to be friends with me? I can understand if you don't want me as a friend, you have more important things to deal with."

"I would love to have a girl from my year that doesn't purely talk about make-up and gossip." I told her with a sincere voice and the daughter of a noble house beamed brightly at me.

"Then yes, Hermione. We are friends."

"Good. Can you keep a secret?" I asked my newest friend who nodded.

"A Slytherin needs to keep some secrets, or otherwise will be picked on by other snakes." She explained and I raised a brow.

"You guys pick on each other? I've never noticed."

"Being Slytherin also means to be clever enough to not make outsiders aware of internal house problems. We might stand united when somebody of another house insults a snake, but when left alone, the snakes begin fighting amongst themselves. Anyway, more of that later, if you want." Daphne quickly switched the topic and smiled at me expectantly.

"Alright, here we go..", I said and took a deep breath, "I am in love with him. But he doesn't know."

"I knew it!" The Slytherin girl raised a fist into the air and her smile widened, eyes sparkling with warmth.

"Am I that obvious?" I asked, not being able to believe that all my hard attempts to not reveal my secret were this futile.

"Well, to people who observe closely, yes." Daphne remarked and I sighed.

"Alright, fine. But why did you observe me and Harry so intensely although we never spoke more than five sentences to you until today?" I asked and the white-blonde girl blushed again.

"I, um.. might have had a stupid, girlish crush on him. Before you and him became so close, I dared to hope that one day I might muster the courage to ask him out, but once I saw how he acts around you and vice versa, I just had to accept my defeat. So don't you worry about me flirting with our teacher." Daphne confessed and I sighed, pitying the poor girl.

"It must have been hard getting rid of these feelings, right?"

"Well, kind of. The more I tried letting go, the harder it got. So I just.. let my feelings go on their own. Does that make sense?" She explained and I shook my head.

"Matters of the heart rarely make sense." I stated and Daphne sighed.

"I guess you're right. Why did I still have feelings for Harry when I saw how you and him were made for each other?" She exclaimed, more to herself than to me and my pupils dilated.

"You really think so?" I asked and couldn't believe my ears.

It might not have been the first time somebody said that, but I still rejected the idea of a person created as a fitting match for another – which didn't mean that I was spared of the effect of such a remark.

"Well.. yeah. You don't need words to communicate, you always look after each other's well-being, you always motivate each other to surpass yourselves and you'd even have the same initials should you marry him one day." Daphne exclaimed and I couldn't suppress a small squeak.

"I've never thought about that!" I thought and looked at the Slytherin with big eyes.

"DAPHNE!", I exclaimed, "Don't put any crazy images in my head!"

"How did this conversation escalate like that anyway?" I added after taking a breath to calm myself and the snake shook her shoulders.

"Well, you wanted to know why I.. observed your best friend so intensely." She recapped with a silent voice and I hummed in agreement.

Silence then fell between us as I tried to find out what I still hadn't told the white-blonde girl yet desperately wanted to tell her. I hated that feeling.

"I really am happy that Susan Bones told you about the meeting and invited you along today.", I admitted when I had found the right words, "Because without her, we wouldn't have this conversation. And what you've just told me made me feel more confident about the way I feel for my best friend. But not just that, I made a friend today. And THAT is truly priceless, Daphne."

"I'm not as eloquent as you, but yeah, thank you.. for accepting me as your friend. I'll try my best not to let you down." The Slytherin responded with reddened cheeks and I lightly smiled at her.

"And I will do my best as well."

And with that, a new friendship was born…


"So, what did you two talk about?" Harry asked me when I met him at the centre square of Hogsmeade, after I had bade farewell to Daphne of course, and I laughed because of his curiosity.

"I am now a friend of Daphne Greengrass." I summed up the events of the last thirty minutes or so and Harry smiled at me.

"I guess that means that I'll have to follow your lead as well, then?" He joked and I lightly elbowed him for his bad sense of humour.

"Ha ha, Harry. Like I'm dictating you what to do and what not."

"Well, you kind of do that sometimes."

"You should be careful with what you say around your gi.. ah, best friend." I immediately blushed and saw Harry wasn't reacting any different.

"Damn, Sirius' stupid teasing really got into everybody's brain over the summer, ey?" He said before his eyes widened.

"Oh my, I completely forgot! You'll definitely laugh at me, but when I had my first detention with Umbridge, which is like more than a month ago, I talked to him afterwards and he invited me and you over for Christmas." Harry explained and I made an "oh".

"Um.. well, my parents invited you and me over for Christmas as well.", I told my best friend, "I think you see a problem here."

"Yes, I do.", He confirmed before taking a deep breath, "Who do we disappoint?"

"So no matter what, we'll spend Christmas together?!" I asked, excitement already coursing through my veins at the prospect of spending the holidays together with the man I was in love with.

"Of course! That's out of question, Hermione." He said with a confidence that made my heart flutter.

"Though it's a lot harder to decide WHERE to spend the holidays.."

"Hey, we've still got almost two entire months to decide that. I'd rather take some time to consider the options than to rush things." I said and Harry chuckled.

"That's the Hermione I know." He almost sighed and I rolled my eyes.

"Sounds almost like you're rhapsodizing." I dryly remarked and he laughed.

"Nah, I don't do that." He declared and I giggled.

"Anyway, do you want to head back to the castle? It's kind of cold here when you stand here for half an hour." Harry asked and I felt ashamed of myself.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I entirely forgot that you had to wait here in the cold while I was talking with Daphne.." I admitted and apologized with a short yet strong hug.

"You can be sorry if I get a cold tomorrow but otherwise it was fine.. Though it's nothing you wouldn't do for me, hm?" He sighed into the embrace and when I retreated from him, his eyes sparkled with affection.

"You're right, I would wait for you half an hour in the cold." I said with a small smirk.

"I would wait for you forever.."

"Alright then, let's go back before I really turn to ice." Harry then took my hand and lead me away from the village, up the hills to Hogwarts.

"So, what do you think of our recent meeting?" He asked me not a minute later and I chuckled, somehow having foreseen this question.

"Very successful and highly important in our fight against Voldemort." I told him with conviction and Harry smiled at me again.

"You saying his name might be my highlight of this meeting." His eyes radiated the pride he felt and my heart melted under his gaze.

"C'mon, don't make yourself look like a fool. The foundation of the Phoenix Pinions was far more important." I tried to distract him from the fact how great he made me feel with his words and Harry chuckled.

"Objectively yes, subjectively no." He cheekily countered and I raised my brow.

"And what about Cho not being able to get her eyes of you?" I daringly provoked him and Harry just smirked widely.

"Hello? I asked you a question." I said with slight panic in my voice when he didn't respond to me and now I felt really worried: Did he really have feelings for that quidditch girl?

"You'd be jealous, wouldn't you?" He then asked and I raised my brow as my eyes widened.

"Excuse me? Jealous because of what?!" I countered and he snickered.

"You'd be jealous if somebody next to you would be my highlight, right? Founding a group can't be limited to one explicit person, that's why you don't mind it being my highlight, but if my highlight would be connected with one and only one person, then it has to be you or you're jealous." He explained his train of thought and I was honestly amazed by his rational and logical argumentation.

"Well.. yeah.", I admitted, although I had some slightly other reasons to be jealous, "I am your best friend. Of course I can't stand it if somebody else gets your attention."

"You and your ego, 'Mione."

"At least I can accept that fact."

"I like your ego."

"Oh.." I mumbled when I realized that I had interpreted his words in an entirely different way and inwardly smiled brightly.

Sadly my state of happiness just made me forget to ask for the answer of my initial question, something that would bite me a bit in the bum later…

After a few minutes the two of us were back inside the castle and heading to our common room.

Hogwarts was quite deserted at that time of day on a Hogsmeade weekend, the majority of students still strolling through the streets of the sleepy village at the foot of the hills.

When we returned to the common room we quickly went to our dormitories to drop our bag and store our now unnecessary belongings away before returning to the all-too-familiar warmth of a couch in front of the fireplace.

"And what now? We still have some hours to spend until the rest will come back to the castle." Harry asked when he had sat down next to me, making me giggle in amusement.

"I recall you explicitly wished to get back inside the castle." I teased and saw him rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I know. I actually wanted to say that we should use the time somehow productively." He corrected his statement and I grinned.

"You can't spend time with me in an unproductive manner." I declared and my best friend laughed.

"Are you kidding me?", Harry wore a broad smirk on his face, "You don't coincidentally remember all the times we listened to music together during the summer?"

"That is NOT unproductive! Music soothes the soul and improves your well-being." I countered and Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"That's one perspective. But if you.."

"No, no buts. Music never is unproductive. Seems like I have to remind you of that." I cut him off before drawing my wand and summoning my Walkman and a cassette with an Accio.

"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked when I noticed the raven-haired wizard giving me a smile that I couldn't decipher.

"Nothing. I just enjoy listening to music with you.", Harry said before eyeing the cassette in my hand, "So, what you've got today?"

"Fleetwood Mac." I replied as I inserted the cassette and handed my best friend the left headphone.

"And if I might add: Even IF listening to music is unproductive in your opinion, you still seem to enjoy it." I grinned victoriously at the boy next to me, who just rolled his eyes and put the headphone in his ear.

I took that as my sign to follow his lead and a few seconds later the intro of "Little Lies" started.

"I think I've heard that song on the radio before." Harry said a few lines into the song and I nodded briefly.

"It's quite famous so the chances are good." I told him before we fell silent and focused on the music.

"Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies." The chorus soon rang out of the headphone and when I realized how fitting the words were to my current situation, I felt my body and especially my face becoming quite hot.

I was pretending to NOT have romantic feelings for the young man next to me, I was lying to him in some way.

"No you can't disguise!" The lyrics continued and I slightly shifted in my seat, feeling like the song was solely created for this very moment.

"Shit, the song is right: I can't hide forever.." I thought and glanced towards my best friend, who had closed his eyes luckily to concentrate on the music. At least he didn't see my panic right now.

"I wouldn't have such a hard time telling him if I knew that he was in love with me as well..", I continued and went through my hair with one hand, playing with a strand of it, "But if love was that easy then a lot of humanity's problems would be solved suddenly."

"Yeah, and sadly there is no explicit guide to conquering a person's heart as well.."

Ugh. Love could be so frustrating. But the result was worth the negative feelings. IF one succeeded, that is.

"Granger, you gotta come up with a battle plan or you'll lose this war." A voice in my head said and although I wanted to move forward, I simultaneously was afraid of doing so. Daring something always involved potential losses.

"He who dares might lose. He who doesn't dare has already lost." The proud lioness inside of me encouraged me and I took a deep breath.

"Alright.. What's the plan?"

"First thing: WHEN are you gonna tell him?"

"Um.. during an undisturbed moment? When only he and I are together in a room?"

"Not a bad start. Any ideas when such a possibility comes by?"

"Uh. Not too often. Well actually the chances are good, but then I don't want to tell him in an insignificant moment. It has to be special, my ego demands it."

"How do you define special, then?"

"A special situation to tell him would be when we're both feeling cosy and the atmosphere also is somehow emotional. Not soap opera like, but definitely palpably emotional. So it has to be set up somehow, otherwise it's hard to come across an emotional atmosphere.."

"Are you suggesting to ask him out?"

"No, not necessarily. If I ask him out, I think it's pretty clear from the start what I want, isn't it? I'd like to keep my intentions a secret until I tell him the three words of magic. That way he has no way to say no to a date."

"I think he'd be clueless if you stood under a mistletoe with him."

I then smirked and glanced in the direction of my clueless secret love, perfectly imagining how he would furrow these brows in confusion when I leant in for a kiss under a mistletoe. Poor Harry would act like that even if he had feelings for me.

"But hey, wait a minute..", I thought as the gears were clicking in my head, "Mistletoe means Christmas. Christmas is the feast of love, people kiss under a mistletoe. And if I convince him.. Oh my god, this literally is a decent idea.."

I now had the crazy idea to kiss Harry James Potter on December 25th at my parents house and under a mistletoe. The only question was: Could I wait this long? And would I still like the idea when the moment came? Only time would tell. But one thing was certain: I at least had SOME plan – which was more than a few hours ago.

"Alright then, I'll work on that some other time again. Give the foundation that you've created a rest, let it harden over night.. or crumble. We'll see.." I told myself before glancing towards Harry next to me, "Oh my, that poor bloke doesn't even have a clue of the crazy things I'm thinking about right now."

Sometimes I envied boys for their denseness. Denseness means ignorance. And ignorance is a bliss.

"And if you don't love me now, you will never LOVE me again!" Lindsey Buckingham's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I realized that we were now listening to "The Chain", a song I absolutely loved until I now felt mocked by the lyrics.

"If this doesn't stop then I'll change the cassette. Since when is music related to so much torture for me?!" I asked myself and rolled my eyes when I noticed Harry not even moving a limb whilst I was constantly shifting in my seat.

He seemed to notice my eyes on his face and his eyelids fluttered open, a small smile forming on his face when he saw the way my cheeks reddened. I admit it, he got me.

"You know I can feel it when people look at me.", Harry stated and I sighed, "And most of the time they have a good reason to do so. So what is yours?"

His smile turned into a smirk that had me rolling my eyes before I turned serious again.

"The lyrics. They remind me of us."

"You mean: "Chain. Keep us together!", hm?"

"Yeah, exactly." I quickly improvised and was for once thankful for the lyrics.

"I thought so as well.. The wizarding community must stand united if it wishes to survive against Voldemort. But not only that: I also thought about how it describes you and me." He confessed and scratched the back of his head, a small blush even gracing his cheeks that looked absolutely adorable.

"Oh.", I felt my jaw dropping a bit at the unexpected exclamation, "I didn't think about that before."

"Why are you lying to him?!" A voice in my mind asked me immediately after I had spoken the words and I facepalmed myself mentally for it.

"Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies!" The chorus of the last song repeated itself in my head and I felt like slamming my skull against a wall.

"Shut up, brain!"

"But you're right.. You and I will always remain together. There's no other way if we want to win against Voldemort. I need you. And you need me, most importantly.", I told him and another thought crossed my mind, "You know, Daphne said something funny about the two of us when I spoke with her in private."

"And what was that?" Harry asked, both of his eyes fixed on mine now.

"Okay, don't tell him the wrong thing you idiot."

"She said that without me, you would be an entirely different person. Not as confident and.. strong as you are now." I explained and desperately tried to not stress the word "strong". Luckily he didn't notice.

"Well, she's right of course.", Harry admitted without second thoughts, "I owe you so much in my life. Confidence and strength are just two of a dozen other accomplishments I had your help with. Although my confidence still has it's ups and downs, as you very well know."

"Everybody has confident and self-conscious phases." I stated and Harry chuckled.

"Do you have mental ups and downs?" He asked and took me by surprise.

"Of course.", I responded and furrowed my brows, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, in my opinion, you're always confident. I can't remember a moment where you weren't." He said and I snorted.

"Remember the time where your cousin's gang kind of looked like they wanted to rape me if it weren't for you? And after the dementor attack at Grimmauld place?" I tried to tell him with a neutral tone and failed miserably. That memory still disgusted me.

"Oh.. sorry. I didn't want to remind you.."

"It's alright. Well, actually their behaviour was everything but alright, but you get the point." I responded and Harry sighed.

"I still want to apologize for my question." He said with a calm and silent voice before leaning over to kiss my head.

All the bad memories immediately ceased swirling around in my mind, instead a thorough warmth soon filling every fibre of my being.

Yeah, that's how it feels to be in love…

The rest of the afternoon was spent with me helping Harry to catch up on two years of Ancient Runes and while he was studying all the different runes and letters, I filled the photo album which Harry had given me with memories on the side.

It had taken me some time to really get the hang of how these magical pictures worked, but once I did, it paid out: I now didn't need a camera any more to capture the moment and bring it to life.

When the evening arrived, so did the students of Hogwarts. Which meant payback for Harry. Literal payback.

Just as promised, the Weasley twins gave Harry his rightful money back before probably returning to their dubious business.

"I'm really looking forward to the first meeting of the Phoenix Pinions next week." My best friend silently said with a smile as he put away the golden and silver coins in his hand.

"Yeah, me too."

"Especially the fact that we'll spend time with a lot of people we don't know so well is pretty amazing." Harry told me and I raised my brow, finding his statement a bit suspicious.

"Because he wants to spend time with Cho or what?!", I thought and felt alarmed, "Please dear god, no! What does it matter when he physically likes me but not on a romantic level? What does it matter when he doesn't love me?!"

"You mean because this will forge a huge bond of companionship throughout all the houses in Hogwarts?" I asked and hoped he would confirm my question.

"Yeah exactly. Of course I like some more and some less, but who doesn't?", He said before taking a breath, "Well, what I actually wanted to allude to is the fact that I will need your help planning this. If you don't mind."

"Of course not. No, I'd be delighted to help you." I sincerely told him and he patted my back, his emerald eyes fixed on mine. He radiated determination and I felt hot under his stare.

"Oh, those eyes will be the death of me.." I thought with a mental sigh as the corners of his mouth quirked upwards.

"Alright then, let's start on that right away, hm?" He announced and got up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I followed his example and he chuckled as he headed for the entrance portrait.

"To the library, of course." He cackled lightly and I rolled my eyes.

The next time my eyes took in the entrance of the common room, two more people had appeared, one of them being somebody I would have rather avoided.

"C'mon mate, you can't honestly believe the bullshit he talks about You-Know-Who!" Seamus addressed the redhead next to him, who stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists.

"It's no bullshit! I might not have seen HIM, but I've seen that death eater who disguised himself as Professor Moody for the entire year. And even YOU know that Diggory died last year. C'mon, can't you put one and one together?" Ron countered and Seamus snorted.

"Yeah, maybe that death eater was so crazy he thought his master was still alive. And Diggory's death was a tragic accident, everybody has seen the article in the newspaper." He said and Ron groaned. I noticed that Harry and I had both stopped to listen to the conversation.

"Why can't you just believe me? Do you think I'd lie about something like that?!" The Weasley exclaimed and Seamus shook his head.

"No, of course not. But you yourself wouldn't say such a thing, you only say it because Potter trumpets it around. You're letting his propaganda get to you, mate."

"I can't stand Harry as you very well know, but even I have to say he's right about one thing: You-Know-Who IS back. Don't you sometimes hear him talking to himself in his sleep? That is when he has visions of what You-Know-Who's doing. He's had them since the beginning of the last year, Seamus." Ron showed that he still had a little, tiny spark of common sense left inside of him, which sadly wasn't enough to convince Seamus.

"No, he can't see through his eyes. HE is dead! Potter probably just is traumatized by his childhood, and who can blame him honestly? But then thinking he is seeing the real world and not some memories or dreams or whatever, that's just crazy! He is just crazy."

"No, you're just crazy, Seamus!" Harry then said as he stepped forward and confronted his dorm mate directly, making me realize that my best friend was bigger than the other boy.

"Oh my, he really has grown in the last four, five months. I can't remember him being taller than Seamus. And also the height difference to Ron is significantly smaller than before the summer.. I like that." I thought with a small grin and continued observing the scene.

"Here is where one of his servants had cut me. They needed my blood for the ritual to resurrect Voldemort." Harry explained and pulled up his sleeve, exposing the long and thin line of scarred skin on his forearm.

"Don't say his name!" Seamus almost squeaked and Harry snorted.

"If he's dead you don't have to be afraid of his name, don't you think so?" My best friend countered with a dry undertone.

"YOU. ARE. A. NUTTER!" Seamus shouted before quickly retreating to the dorm, his hands massaging his temples. He probably couldn't handle the facts.

"And thank you. I still despise you, but you at least seem to not be stupid on that front." Harry addressed Ron, who growled in response.

"Likewise."

With this word, the raven-haired wizard gestured me to follow him before making his way to the door.

"Well, that's a first step to at least get away from hatred." I thought as Harry opened the portrait for me and gave me a quick smile that I returned.

"Those two might never become friends again.. But maybe they'll get back on friendLY terms someday." I thought as Harry and I headed to the library, a clear task ahead…


Author's note: I've been gone quite some time again. That's because I was in the UK in the first week of my Easter holidays, in London and in Manchester to be precise.
As you might have noticed, I'm in love with the bands "Joy Division" and "New Order", and in Manchester I went to see a concert of the great Peter Hook, the bassist of these two bands. He split with the original New Order in 2007 and "covers" his old songs regulary now. With a band of his own, of course.
And a week ago he had three gigs in his hometown Manchester, so that's basically the best experience you can have at a concert. I was lucky enough to be there, because the day of the last gig, which I attended, was one of the best days in my entire life. Unforgetable experience, I tell you.
Anyway, that was my excuse for not uploading sooner.. Please forgive me.
As of lately I seem to underestimate the size of this story, as I'm at comfortable 14k words for this chapter again and I always ask myself how my relatively simple planning turns out to be even more than a week of intense writing sessions.
Because of the size of this chapter and the amount of action in it, I won't talk about my decisions this time in this AN. If you have questions, write a review or PM me. If I start here, I won't be finished until the end of the month, ha ha.
But there is one thing I just have to mention: I don't like "Dumbledore's Army".
The name is just way too plain and also really? How obvious do you want to be?
"Phoenix Pinions" however is poetic, it has a stylistic device in it, is a bit more discreet than "Dumbledore's Army" and it is ambiguous.
The name changing also should represent that although I use canon as an inspiration, I don't cling to it. I make changes and give this story my personal note.
Speaking of my personal note, when I proof-read this chapter, I noticed something: For the first time I had the feeling that this story truly was written by me.
Of course, when I previously wrote chapters I knew that I had written them, but here I FEEL like I have written it. My character impacted the words, my style arranged the letters. In some way I feel like with this chapter I have found my style, which is great - it might be a temporary illusion as well, but we'll see about that in the future.
I explicitly mentioned all the music used in this chapter, so that brings me straight to the ending.
According to my planning, the next chapter will be shorter than this( though I think you guys can't take me serious after these long chapters any more), so I hope to be back soon. And if you're wondering when Harry and Hermione will come together, it won't take so long any more. "So long" being relative.
Alright, this wraps things up for today. Write a review if it doesn't bother you too much, I want to see if you have liked or disliked reading this enormous chapter.
'Til the next time!
NewOrderFan05