Hermione's All That

The warm, crisp air of the bright September morning, filled into the head girl's dorm. A young woman, no more than seventeen, was sprawled out on her bed. A huge smile plastered on her face; a smile, which had yet to falter.

As the sun rose and the light filtered into the room, the girl still did not wake from her slumber; for in her head was a dream; a dream filled with romance and laughter and also a certain Gryffindor wizard.

Within her dream, the young girl was loved and cared for. She was able to fight off pirates or perform a daring escape, all with the love of her life right by her side.

As the smartest witch at Hogwarts allowed her mind to run free with these thoughts, she was happy and content; life seemed, well perfect, in all sense of the word. But whose life isn't perfect when dreams fill the mind, emotions take over, and one's deepest desires all come forth in a story created within the psyche.

Soon the dream seemed to fade, thoughts left the mind, and the body's internal clock let it chimed "time to get up". Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and her smile was still upon her face. She was still in her happy trance that follows a good dream as well as a good night's sleep.

Turning her head over, Hermione snuggled under the covers, content on just lying in her bed, relaying the dream over again in her mind. This was the first time since her parents' deaths that she was able to sleep the whole night without waking in cold sweats or terror filled nightmares.

Placing one hand under her pillow, she stared out the window. She couldn't see much from where she was, but the bright sun and clear sky gave off the feeling that today was going to be a good day; matching her mood perfectly.

Realizing that it was time for her to get up, she sighed and made her body sit up. Rubbing her eyes for a moment, she swung her legs over and trotted to her dresser. Getting out the clothes she wanted to wear for the day, she made her way into her bathroom.

The shower was relaxing and refreshing, but her mind was replaying the events of the previous night. She had a glorious dinner with Harry, and the party wasn't all that bad. She had to say she enjoyed dancing with Harry the most. The thought brought a smile to her face once again. And then, at the end of the date, she finally got the one thing she desperately wanted, her first kiss.

The thought of it gave her butterflies in her stomach. She could still feel Harry's soft lips on hers. It was so gentle and warm, she couldn't have asked for a better first kiss.

She finished getting ready, but decided not to doll herself up again. For one thing, she didn't know if she could do all that Ginny had done to her, and second, that wasn't really her.

Don't get her wrong, she loved how she looked and she was more than pleased with the outcome, and even people's reactions, but makeup and hair-dos were just not Hermione Granger. She didn't really see a point in taking two hours to get ready. She liked not wearing makeup and wearing her hair down. She would save the dressing up for special occasions.

She was glad that today was Sunday; she had no desire to go to classes. Wait, did I just really think that? She was stunned; she loved classes, but for some reason she just didn't want to have to deal with teachers.

Making her way out of her room, she thought about knocking on Harry's door to see how he was. She thought about maybe asking him if he wanted to spend the day with her, but figured she didn't want to push too much since they had spent all of yesterday together.

It was only the first week of school, and all this had happened. She couldn't believe it; she would never have thought, in a million years, that these things would happen to her.

She snapped out of her trance when she realized she was still standing, staring at Harry's door. She turned her head and made her way down the steps. For some reason, she had this odd urge to just skip singing "Skip, Skip, Skip to my loo!" She laughed at the thought, what would everyone think if they saw the Head Girl singing that while skipping down the corridors?

She was on her way down to the Great Hall when she recognized that Neville was not too far in front of her.

"Neville," Hermione called and he stopped to look behind him. Hermione walked up to him and smiled.

Neville just stood there as if he was contemplating on whether or not he was going to say hi. Finally his faced formed a smile and he said, "Hello Hermione, how are you today?"

Hermione thought his tone seemed a bit forced, and that he was more formal than usual which was odd, but when is Neville not odd?

"Good, what about you?" Hermione replied as they both began walking toward the Great Hall for some breakfast.

"I'm fine," Neville replied a little too quickly. His face seemed to form into more of a malicious smile and he said, "So, how was your date?"

Hermione was shocked by his tone. Why is he being so rude about it? "Neville, it wasn't a date! We just went as friends. He just wanted to show me around Hogsmeade since I've never really enjoyed it before," Hermione told him in an exasperated tone.

"Hermione, why would Harry Potter just want to go out with you as friends?" Neville said and Hermione was hurt that he would say something like that.

"Neville, why do you have to do this? Why do think that Harry and I could not be friends?" Hermione asked sullenly.

"Because Hermione, you just can't, you can't. It's like some rule, that the popular kids are not supposed to hang out with our kind," Neville said and Hermione stopped in her tracks.

"So now we're a "kind"? What does that mean?" Hermione said, anger burning her insides. "You talk as if we're a different species!" Hermione placed her hands by her sides, clenching her fists. She did not want to get into it with Neville today; her morning was wonderful and Neville was not going to ruin it.

Neville stood rooted to the ground as he eyed Hermione. "In a way, we are. You might not want to believe it, but in school we're different from them and that's all they see, different. There is no gray area between popular kids and the geeks; you either are one or aren't. It's as simple as that," Neville said and he turned, making his way into the Great Hall.

Hermione didn't move as she watched the door open and close. She could hear the chatter of students in the Great Hall, all wrapped up in their own lives, sharing tales and secrets with friends. Friends. Neville was supposed to be her friend, yet here he was telling her how wrong she was to believe Harry. They were friends, and they had something between them. She could feel it when they kissed.

She sighed in frustration as she leaned against the wall, trying to regain her bearings. Suddenly she didn't feel like eating, so she decided to take a walk.

She went out by the lake, and sat down in her favorite spot, overlooking the water. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her head against the tree trunk and let her thoughts consume her.

Everything seemed to be happening so fast. During the entire seven years at Hogwarts, Hermione longed to talk to Harry, speak to him in any way. And just by a simple tutoring session, it led to a night in Hogsmeade, and then to that special moment between the two of them. Why am I falling for him so fast? I don't even know him!

It was just the first week of school, and everything seemed so difficult and frustrating. She needed someone to talk to. She didn't have her parents, Neville was being a jerk, she couldn't confide in Harry because the problem was partly him. She needed someone, anyone to help her through this.

Seeming to answer her call she heard someone yell her name; turning her head, Hermione saw Lavender Brown walking up to her.

"Hey Hermione," Lavender said when she finally reached Hermione. She smiled down at her. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"No, go ahead," Hermione replied and she looked back over at the lake.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me with Ron," Lavender said and Hermione turned to the girl beside her. Lavender was staring out at the lake, but Hermione could see a smile on her lips.

"I'm glad I could help. Did you tell him?" Hermione asked and Lavender shook her head.

"Not yet, but I'm going to next weekend. I was wondering if maybe you could help me. I want to make it special and you seem to have good ideas," Lavender said, finally turning her gaze to Hermione.

Hermione smiled. "I would be glad to help you Lavender," Hermione said and Lavender's face lit up. "Just tell me where and when!"

Lavender squealed and pulled Hermione into a hug. "Thank you so much Hermione, you don't know how much his means to me!"

Hermione smiled at the girl. She liked how this felt; to be needed and wanted. She really did like Lavender.

"If there is anything you need, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask!" Lavender said to Hermione and Hermione thought about this. Well she seems to want to become friends. She knows a lot about guys and dating, I'm sure she could help me out and it would be nice to have someone to talk to.

"Well," Hermione began apprehensively.

"Go on, Hermione," Lavender urged.

"I was wondering if maybe, well I don't really have anyone to talk to about things, so if you could, I don't know, help me and give me some advice, that would be great," Hermione said. She felt a bit embarrassed, so she looked at the ground.

"No problem!" Lavender said and Hermione smiled. She looked at Lavender who smiled back. "Tell you what, how about this Friday we have a girl's night. We can talk and you can help me plan my night with Ron. We can pig out on snacks and just do whatever," Lavender suggested.

"That sounds great," Hermione said, smiling. Lavender patted her leg and got up.

"Well, I gotta run and meet Ron. I'll see you later," Lavender said. Hermione waved to her and Lavender began walking away.

"Lavender," Hermione called to her and she turned around. "Thanks," Hermione said and Lavender grinned.

"Anytime," she said and continued on her way.

Hermione looked back out over the water and smiled. Today was a good day. She felt refreshed, renewed, and she felt that this year, her luck was about to change.

Harry rolled out of bed. He didn't mean to sleep in so late, but he couldn't manage to make himself get up. He wanted to stay there and continuing dreaming.

He woke up rested, which was a new feeling for him. His dreams consisted of different images and objects, but the one thing that stood out for him was a certain girl.

He felt his heart quicken at the thought of her and he smiled. He sighed in frustration. He had to take his mind off of her. What would his friends think? They would think he was weak; he had fallen for someone who was not even really supposed to associate with him. But why is that? Who made up that rule? They were all human, all the same, so why was it so wrong for guys like him to fall for girls like her?

Most would consider her to be below him, just because he was considered popular and handsome, while she was considered a loser and an ugly duckling.

But to him, she was above all. She held something special that no one else had. Beneath the outer exterior, was a great person, with such dreams and fortitude, he couldn't see why no one had noticed before.

He wanted to know her secrets and dreams; her hopes and goals. He wanted to know what she feared most and what she loved most about life. He had the strongest urge to know each and every single thing about the girl. He was torn inside.

He was torn between his growing feelings for Hermione or his reputation. If he were to date Hermione, nothing would be the same. He would be named as the outcast of the group, and everyone would look at him differently.

But if he were to stop liking Hermione and not pursue his emotions, then he would have to give up so much. He wouldn't be able to hold her hand or hear her say I love you. He wouldn't be able to kiss her whenever he wanted. The thought of her with another man ignited jealousy within. He was never the jealous type before, but then if he really thought about it, he never cared too much for those that he dated.

And then, there was the bet; the stupid bet. He wanted to call it off, give up now, but he couldn't let Malfoy win. He would never hear the end of it. He tried to convince himself that these feelings for Hermione were just convenience since he was lonely not having Cho, but he knew he was kidding himself. He tried to convince himself that he could continue the bet and that he wouldn't care about Hermione in the end, but again, who was he trying to fool?

The internal battle raged and Harry wanted to scream out of aggravation. He was annoyed with the situation and he wanted nothing more than to just forget it all.

He quickly got ready for the day and left his room. He already missed breakfast, so he would just grab a few things from the kitchens.

He made his way down the hall, heading toward the kitchen's entrance. As he got there, he tickled the pear and the door slid open.

He looked around for Dobby, but didn't see him anywhere. The other house-elves didn't pay him any mind, so he grabbed a few things and left.

Walking back towards the common room, he felt an arm grab his. He turned, hoping that it would be Hermione, but it wasn't. Ginny was staring up at him, batting her eyelashes.

"Hi Ginny," Harry said politely. He knew the young girl had a crush on him, and he felt bad because he just didn't have any feelings for her. She was his best friend's little sister and almost like a sister to him. He just couldn't see himself, in any way, having a relationship with Ginny.

"Hi Harry," Ginny said in a rather seductive tone. Harry had the urge to roll his eyes, but refrained. He never really had the heart to tell her to her face that he didn't like her, but he thought she would get the hint by now.

"Is there something you wanted Ginny?" Harry asked, not feeling comfortable by the way Ginny was latched onto his arm.

"I just wanted to see if you would take a walk with me," she said. A reddish tint glazed her cheeks as she stared up at him.

"Oh, well, um…," Harry stuttered. He really didn't feel like walking with Ginny, so he tried thinking of an excuse. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "Well, I already have plans with Hermione."

Ginny's face seemed to fall and she frowned. She quickly recovered, but Harry had seen it. He knew she was jealous, but why couldn't she understand that he didn't want to be with her.

"You just spent all day with her yesterday! You don't have to spend every waking minute with her just so you can win the bet," Ginny stated. She had a cold expression on her face and Harry could tell that Ginny wasn't very fond of Hermione.

"Well, it's not just the bet, I like hanging out with her," Harry admitted and he was surprised to hear himself say that.

"What is it about her anyway?" Ginny asked and Harry was becoming irritated. He didn't feel like dealing with her petty crush and trivial jealousy. She was like this when he first started dating Cho, but then she seemed as if she was fine with the whole thing, but Harry could tell ever since he and Cho broke up, that Ginny's infatuation with him flared up again.

"She's fun, and nice, and smart, and…" Harry started to say, but Ginny cut him off. He was surprised at how easily he was able to list all the good things about Hermione.

"Alright, alright, I get the point," Ginny interrupted. She let go of Harry's arm and began walking away.

"Ginny," Harry called, but she didn't look back. Harry felt guilty. He didn't mean to upset her.

Harry shrugged, deciding not to dwell on it. She will get over it. He continued to walk down the halls and to his room. For some reason, he didn't want to face Hermione. It wasn't like he didn't want to see her, but he was scared of how he felt or how he was feeling.

He needed to get his thoughts in order, and get them in order quick.

Hermione flipped off the lamp on her desk and retreated to her bed. She just finished the last of her homework and was ready to lay back and rest. She was also eager to rejoin her dreams, hoping that she would have a few good ones like last night.

She pulled back the covers and hopped in. She fell back on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

After her conversation with Lavender, Hermione looked around for Harry, hoping to talk with him for a bit. She didn't see him all day, and figured that he didn't want to be bothered.

She worked in the library for awhile, but decided to take her remaining work back to her dorm. Harry's door was still closed and she slyly leaned in, wondering if he was in there. She didn't hear any voices so he was either alone or gone. She shrugged her shoulders, knowing that she would see him in classes tomorrow. She was excited because tomorrow would be her first DADA lesson with Professor Lupin. They didn't have it last week because they started school on a Tuesday.

Hermione wondered what Harry was thinking. Was he regretting the kiss, regretting becoming friends with her? Did he like her or what? She wished so much she could read his mind, everything would be so much easier.

I'll just ask him tomorrow if he wants to walk down to breakfast with me, then we can talk. Maybe I can tell how he feels by the way he acts towards me.

Pulling the covers up to her chin, Hermione closed her eyes, insisting on sleep taking her; taking her off to a far off land, away from her problems and inner emotions, away to where her prince was waiting for her with opens arms and a giving heart!

"Where is it? Where is it?" Harry chanted as he threw his clothes on the ground, searching desperately for his lost book.

He rummaged through his trunk, but it wasn't in there. Ramming a hand through his hair, Harry hurried over to his bookshelf. He looked over the books and couldn't find it.

He heard a slight knock on his door and sighed. He hurried over to it and jerked it open. "What?" he said in annoyance.

"Well a good morning to you too," Hermione said and Harry paused. He didn't mean to say it like that.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were Ron. Good morning," Harry said as he moved aside. "Come in."

Hermione stepped into his room and eyed the surroundings. The place was a mess, typical guy!

Harry hurried over and searched through his drawers, pulling each one out completely in his haste.

Hermione stared at him for a second. "Loose something?" Hermione asked, and Harry turned to her over his shoulder.

"No, I just do this once a week to see how long it will take me to ransack my room," Harry said sarcastically and Hermione smiled.

"What did you loose?" Hermione asked.

"My DADA book. We have that class first today, and I can't find it anywhere!" Harry said. He was aggravated and continued to look through boxes, hoping it would miraculously appear.

"Well let me help you. I know a spell that will find lost things," Hermione told him and Harry stood up, looking relieved. She pulled out her wand and said, "Reperio Defense Against The Dark Arts Book, Year Seven. Harry Potter."

The wand spun in her hand before pointing toward the bathroom. Harry walked over the door and walked in. He walked out and looked a bit embarrassed. He held up the book in his hands.

"So, bathroom huh?" Hermione said, smiling. She couldn't hold back the giggle.

"Hey, a man's gotta have some reading material and I just so happened to have loaned my copy of Witch Weekly to Ron," Harry replied, smirking.

Hermione couldn't hold back the laugh. She thought he looked so adorable.

Harry smiled at her. She has such a cute laugh. "So, anyway, what did you come here for?" Harry asked trying to get his mind off of his feelings.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you would like to walk with me to breakfast?" Hermione asked and Harry smiled.

"Sure, let me get my stuff," Harry replied. He was now searching for his bag and looked at Hermione. "You wouldn't happen to know a spell for putting the room back in order?"

Hermione smiled internally at his face. He was so cute when he was pleading. She nodded her head and muttered an incantation and the room rearranged itself in order.

Harry walked over and put his arms around Hermione's shoulders. "Thanks! This is the cleanest my room has ever been!" Harry said and Hermione laughed.

"Well, let's head down to breakfast," Hermione said and Harry nodded. He shut his door and they made their way to the common room. It was practically deserted, a few students were scattered here and there. "It looks like we're running a little late," Hermione commented.

"Yeah, sorry," Harry muttered and Hermione looked at him. He seems to be perfectly fine with me, so it seems like he doesn't think the kiss was a mistake. But, he isn't mentioning it either, so maybe he just wants to forget it. The thought made Hermione's stomach twist in knots. She couldn't forget it. Everything was magical and she just knew, for some reason she knew, that her and Harry had something there. She felt a connection. Hermione eyed the ground as they walked down the corridor.

"So, are we still on for Tuesday?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded.

"Yeah," Hermione answered. "Harry, I've wanted to tell you again how much I really appreciate Saturday night. It really meant a lot to me and I had a lot of fun," Hermione told him.

"That was the plan! I'm glad you had fun, it was a pretty nice evening," Harry said and the only reason it wasn't perfect was because of that Xander kid. Still the thought of him made Harry's blood boil.

"I would like to do it again sometime…," Hermione said and she became flustered. "I mean, well, that is if you want to." She looked to the ground. Why did I say that! What if he doesn't want to?

Harry could tell she was embarrassed and he laughed to himself. "I would love to go out with you again," Harry said and Hermione looked up, stunned. "What? Did you expect me to say no?"

Hermione looked at him for a minute and smiled. "Actually, yes, yes I did," Hermione said honestly.

"Hermione," Harry said, stopping in front of the Great Hall doors. She stopped and turned to look at him. He grabbed her one hand and gave it a squeeze. "I want you to know that I like hanging out with you."

Hermione smiled up at him. "Thanks Harry. I like being around you, too," Hermione said to him. Harry smiled.

"That's good to know," Harry said as he let go of her hand and opened the doors for her. They walked in and were met with stunned silence.

The entire Great Hall was staring at them. Hermione didn't understand what was wrong. Maybe their shocked that me and Harry walked in together.

Harry stood, looking at everyone. Everyone's eyes were trained on them.

Just then Harry saw Cho get up with a paper in her hand. She walked toward them, a smug smile on her face. She stopped when she was right in front of them.

She looked from Harry to Hermione and smirked. "I'm guessing you two haven't seen today's issue of The Daily Prophet. Rita Skeeter has a nice little article about our Head Girl here. Really, I didn't expect this of you, Hermione, but I have to say it is quite an accomplishment," Cho said. She tossed the article at Hermione and walked back over to the table.

Hermione's hands trembled a bit. She had no idea, what the article said and frankly, she was scared to see it. She unfolded it and gasped.

Right there on the front cover was two pictures. One was her and Harry dancing, the other was her sitting on Seamus's lap. The bad thing was it was one of him kissing her neck. Along the top, in big, bold letters was the headline: Has The Head Girl Gone Wild?

Hermione didn't know what to do. She could feel Harry leaning over her shoulder to see what was wrong.

Harry couldn't tell of what to make of the article. When he saw the pictures, he froze.

"Hey, Granger, over here!" someone yelled. Hermione looked up to see that a lot of people we're wearing buttons. Hermione recognized them as the same kind people wore when Harry was in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Those would flash Potter Stinks, she wondered what these would say.

She watched as a few flashed her name, but that wasn't all. Right after it said HEAD girl in bright red letters. Hermione knew what they meant and she didn't take it lightly.

The hall erupted into laughter, pointing and shouting at her. She didn't know what to do. The jeers and mocks were filling her head. Everyone and everything seemed to be collapsing in on her, burying her alive, and she had no chance of getting out.

She felt the tears coming, but she couldn't let them see her cry. She let go of the paper and it floated to the ground in a slow, steady motion. Swinging back and forth before it hit the earth below.

Hermione looked at her classmates and she couldn't take it anymore. She spun on her heel and raced out of the Great Hall at full speed. She had no idea where she was going, she just let her legs move somewhere, anywhere. She had to get away!

She ran hard and fast. She stumbled on some grass, causing her to loose her footing. She fell to the ground, but that didn't stop her. She jumped up and continued. Before she knew it she was at her favorite spot by the lake.

She looked out at the lake and it hit. The wave of tears came and she succumbed to them. She curled up next to the tree, hugging her legs to her chest. She didn't know what to do.

She was startled by a sudden hand that fell upon her shoulder. She didn't dare look up, in case it was one of "them" coming to mock her some more. She felt the person sit next to her. "Hermione," the voice whispered. She knew right away it was Harry.

She couldn't look up; she didn't want him to see her cry.

"Hermione," he said a little more loudly. Harry stared at the small form of the girl. The one he knew who was always so strong was sitting here like a fragile doll. His heart ached for her. When he watched her go, he stared at everyone, giving them a look of hatred, before he tore after her. He saw her fall, and all he wanted to do was kiss the bruises on her knees away. He watched her run, till she stopped, and now he heard her cry. He felt like he was broken, just because she was. He hated seeing her like this.

How could he feel this much emotion toward someone he really only met a week ago. He didn't know, but all he knew was that they had some type of bond together and there was a reason they met.

He rubbed her back. He was at a loss for words. "Hermione," he said again, and he saw her body move up and down from the sobs. "It's ok to cry," he told her.

When Hermione heard him say that, she jerked her head up and stared at his face. Harry felt like someone just took a hammer to his heart when he saw her face. There wasn't a word to really describe the sadness. He had seen other girls cry, but not like this. Not from someone who never cried. The sights of her tears were causing his own tears to form.

"No, it's not ok," Hermione told him. She shook her head and looked back out at the lake. She took her hand and rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears, even though more continued to fall. "I can't cry like this, I can't let them see!" Hermione shouted.

"Why can't you let them see? Everyone cries," Harry told her and Hermione shook her head again.

"Not me, at least not in front of people. I value myself on how I can hold my self control. I don't care if they call me weird or a freak, I don't care if they make fun of my clothes or my hair," Hermione stated, pulling on her hair. "But I do care if they think I'm weak."

Harry stared at her. He felt so bad for the woman before him at the moment. "Just because you cry doesn't make you weak," Harry told her.

"Yes it does. It shows they have some form of control over me. If they can make me cry, then they can do anything to me. I hate this feeling!" Hermione said. She clenched her teeth and tried to hold her tears in check. She stared out at the lake, but she didn't see it.

"Hermione, you are one of the strongest people I know. They don't have control over you. This will all blow over in a few weeks and everything will go back to normal," Harry tried to reassure her.

"No, it won't. Of course, they will have their fun at my expense. I'll walk down the halls to class and they will all laugh at me, or point. I'm used to that, but now," Hermione said pointing her finger at the ground. "Now, it's different. Instead of the usual jokes about myself, they will laugh at how I cried and I can't have that taken away from me. Ever since…," Hermione started to say "Ever since my parents died", but stopped herself. Harry didn't know, no one knew about her parents besides the staff and Dumbledore.

"Ever since what?" Harry said, wondering what she was going to say.

"Nothing, nevermind," Hermione said. She wiped her eyes. "I'm surprised you didn't join in with them," Hermione said to Harry.

Harry felt hurt. He thought he had gained some of her trust. "Why would I do that?" Harry asked her.

Hermione looked over at Harry and saw the hurt expression. He really did care about her, she just didn't know in what way. "I'm sorry, I just thought…" Hermione trailed off, not really knowing what else to say. Harry nodded his head in understanding and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"How could you ever date someone as vile as Cho?" Hermione asked and Harry shook his head.

"I don't know. I wish I never had. I didn't think she would stoop that low. How did she get that picture?" Harry asked. Hermione looked to the ground.

"Remember when Parvati came and said she needed to show me something?" Hermione said and Harry nodded. "Well, when they brought me over there, Cho was just being a little too nice. I should have known, but I thought maybe she had actually matured. When I was standing there, someone, probably Cho, knocked me onto Seamus's lap, and he was drunk, so he tried kissing me. I was so mad and revolted. I tried getting up, but he had his arm around me and wouldn't let me up."

Harry tensed up at this. He didn't know why he was so protective of her. Yes you do, it's because you care for her. He didn't say anything and let her continue.

"I remember seeing a flash, but I didn't think anything of it. Finally Cho helped pull me away and that was it. I can't believe they fooled me into actually thinking that they wanted to be my friends! I'm such an idiot!" Hermione shouted. She put her head in her hands. She felt arms grab her wrist and pull them away from her head. Harry grabbed her head and turned it toward him. He kept his hold on her as he spoke.

"Listen to me, Hermione. You are not the idiot. The only idiots are those people in there, who insist on laughing at the expense of others. I'm so sorry you had to go through this," Harry told her and Hermione smiled at his concern on his face.

"Harry, it isn't your fault," Hermione told him. She felt as if they were moving closer together. Are we going to kiss again?

They were almost nose to nose and they both could feel each other's breath on their cheeks. Hermione's eyes closed as she prepared for what was going to happen.

"Hey!" someone shouted and Hermione and Harry pulled apart quickly. They turned to see Lavender and Ron standing beside them.

Harry was cursing Ron in his head for ruining the kiss with Hermione. Ever since the first one he has been dying to have another one. They were almost there until they were, interrupted.

"Hey," Harry said and Lavender walked over in front of Hermione. She leaned down and wrapped the girl into a hug.

"I want you to know that I'm so sorry, and if I would have known they were going to do that I would have stopped them or at least warned you. You don't deserve that," Lavender said into Hermione's shoulder as they continued to hug. They released each other and Hermione smiled.

"Thank you, Lavender," Hermione said.

"Yeah, Hermione, that was low of them. I'm sorry too," Ron said and Harry smiled at his friend. At least Ron and Lavender are accepting her. "I can't believe they ruined a good breakfast," Ron stated.

Lavender gave him a look of shock and Harry laughed. "Of course Ron, only you would think of food. What about Hermione?" Lavender said to him. She stood up and gave him an evil glare.

"Lavender, it's ok. I agree with Ron," Hermione said and all three of them looked at her. She smiled. "I'm not going to let them get to me and I'm starving!"

They all laughed. Harry stood up and offered Hermione his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. They began walking toward the castle. Lavender was scolding Ron for his comment.

Harry turned to Hermione who had her arms crossed over her chest and was looking down. "Are you ok?" Harry asked.

She turned to him and smiled. "Yes, I think I am. I'm just glad I have you three with me," she told him and Harry grinned. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He got a whiff of her shampoo and he inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. She smells wonderful!

"How about we sneak down to the kitchens and grab a bite to eat? Then we have to hurry to DADA," Harry suggested and Hermione smiled.

Ron turned around and said, "Did I hear something about eating?"

Harry and Hermione both burst out laughing at Ron's comment. Lavender swatted him on the arm and Ron gave her a hurt look. "What?" Ron asked sheepishly.

Lavender turned back to Harry and Hermione and rolled her eyes. Harry and Hermione smiled. They walked into the castle, but Hermione didn't dread it.

She had three good friends with her and for some reason she knew everything was going to be OK.