The Next Dance

The Next Dance

By Aerie22

Chapter 4

Hermione

It was Wednesday. The parties celebrating Voldemort's apparent defeat were over and classes had resumed.

"Hey, Ginny. What's up?" Colin said as they left an early Transfiguration class.

"Nothing," she said flatly, her head down in thought as she walked down the corridor.

Colin scurried to keep up. "Come on, Ginny. You've been quiet all week. You should be happy. Voldemort has been defeated. The Minister of Magic says he's dead and that the reign of terror is over."

Ginny looked up at him with sad eyes. "You wouldn't understand," she said with a sigh.

Colin, who continued to walk alongside Ginny, gave his own sigh. "I don't know. I've been feeling a little down myself, ever since I realized that Parvati loved Harry."

Ginny stopped short. "What?"

Colin stopped and turned around. "I don't know. I always thought Parvati was the prettiest girl I ever met. I hoped someday to do something...you know, something great so that she would notice me. But now she loves Harry, so I guess that will never happen."

Ginny blinked several times. "You liked Parvati?"

Colin gave a rueful snort. "Not that she'd ever notice me. I'm just a fourth year. She's used to going out with sixth and seventh year losers. I hoped that she'd get tired of all those jerks and would notice me. But now that she's with Harry, I guess that'll never happen," he said with a sigh.

Ginny stared at her classmate. "But...but, she's so...I don't know. Shallow? Boy crazy? I don't know what Harry sees in her."

Colin bristled. "She likes to look nice. And she's not shallow. She's funny. And nice. Sure she threatens to hex me all the time, but I guess I can be a pest. But she does talk to me sometimes about classes and stuff. She offered to set me up with this girl in Ravenclaw that she said was nice. But I liked her, not some Ravenclaw," he said with a sigh.

Ginny closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Colin. I guess I was just being catty."

Colin looked at Ginny sadly. "So what's with you? Harry?"

Ginny lowered her head and nodded.

He nodded, as well. "Yeah, I guess you did have a crush on him."

She snorted. "Yeah, I guess. The sun rises. The sun sets. And Ginny moons over Harry. All as regular as clockwork."

Colin gently grabbed her arm and started walking her toward the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. "We make quite a pair, don't we," he said sadly.

She followed along. "I guess if I were a little prettier..."

Colin stopped. "What? You're pretty. Don't be silly."

Ginny shook her head. "I could never compete with Parvati."

Colin snorted. "And I could never compete against Harry."

Now Ginny chuckled softly. "We do make quite a pair."

* * *

Ginny found herself in the library along with Rachel and Moira. Ginny was beginning to feel a little better about herself, but still had not found the ambition to resist Rachel's insistence that they get some work done, even if Moira did. So the three fourth years were scratching away at a History of Magic essay that Professor Binns, oblivious as ever to anything that went on outside his particular classroom, insisted had to be done by Friday's class.

Ginny finished her essay, satisfied it had the length, if not the scholarship, to fulfill Binns' basic requirements. She looked around the library and saw Hermione, sitting in her favorite chair at her table, staring blankly at a text. She was not scribbling away furiously, as was her wont. She was not going back and forth between various other reference books. She was just staring. Ginny rose and walked over to her fifth year friend.

"Hermione," Ginny whispered urgently.

Hermione looked up from the page that she hadn't turned in over a half hour.

"Hermione, are you all right?"

Hermione blinked, not responding.

Ginny gave an exasperated look. "Are. You. All. Right?"

Hermione blinked again, then sighed. "I'm fine," she said dully and looked down at the unread page again.

"No you're not," Ginny said firmly. "You've been looking at that page for the past half hour. I bet you don't even know what subject you're revising."

Hermione looked up again, this time with tears in her eyes. "I don't care."

Ginny reached over and closed Hermione book and gathered the rest of her friend's materials and stuffed them into her satchel. "Come on. We're going for a walk."

Hermione blinked a few more times. "I'm all right," she said in a far away voice. But she didn't resist as Ginny shouldered both of their satchels and pulled her to her feet.

"We've got to talk," Ginny said with resolve.

"Mmmm hmmm," Hermione said as she was led out of the library.

It was still surprisingly warm for October, so Ginny led Hermione out the main entrance of the castle. She spotted Dean and Seamus walking back toward the entrance. Dean was laughing and Seamus was sulking as the two were arguing about football versus Quidditch. Dean bounced his football and gave it a quick knee to pop it in front of Seamus, who grabbed it.

"No hands, you git," Dean said with a laugh.

"Dean, Seamus. You going back to the house?" Ginny called to the boys.

The two turned towards the girls, nodding.

"Good," she said firmly. "Could you take these back?" offering the boys the two satchels.

Seamus shrugged and Dean smiled. "Sure. For a price."

Ginny gave Dean a scowl. "Okay. I'll pay for dinner tonight."

Dean laughed but Seamus looked confused. "But we're having dinner in the Great Hall, aren't we?"

Dean gave his friend a playful push. "If they give you the check for dinner, pass it down to Ginny. It won't cost you a knut, you git."

Suddenly Seamus blushed. "Jeez. I'm supposed to come up with the stupid jokes, not you, Weasley," he said, rolling his eyes at being so thick.

Dean collected the girls' satchels and draped them over Seamus's shoulders. "I'll carry the ball," he said imperiously and walked up the stairs to the castle with Seamus trailing in his wake.

Ginny, still clutching Hermione's elbow, began leading her down the path to the lake. She gave a quick glance around and then turned to her friend. "All right, Hermione. Talk. This has got to stop and it won't stop until you get it out of your system."

Hermione stopped and stared at Ginny, then suddenly burst into tears. "Oh, Ginny. Harry loved me. And I hurt him. And now he's gone forever. He hates me," she said, sobbing.

Ginny embraced Hermione, patting her on the back to try to soothe her friend. After nearly a minute, Hermione finally got a hold of herself and Ginny let go, putting her arm around her friend's waist and again leading her toward the lake.

"First of all, Harry doesn't hate you," Ginny said softly. "Except for You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters, I don't think it's in Harry's nature to hate people. Ron told me that Harry said he doesn't even hate the Dursleys now that he doesn't have to live with them anymore. He's just glad to be away from them, even after all they did to him."

Hermione looked up at her taller, younger friend. "What did they do to him? I thought they just didn't like him."

Ginny looked down at the path. "I don't know exactly what happened. Ron wouldn't say. I don't think he even knows the whole story. You know how Harry is. But from what Ron told me, I think Dumbledore had him move out from the Dursleys to protect Harry from them, not You-Know-Who. Ron said something about Harry going to the hospital during the summer and the Muggle authorities getting involved and how he ended up living with the vicar who saved his life."

Hermione stopped and gasped. "They tried to kill him?"

Ginny hung her head. "I don't know. Ron said it was very hush-hush. But Harry threatened to run away and live on the streets rather than go back. Or take his chances with the Muggles rather than come back here if Dumbledore tried to make him go back."

Hermione's eyes were wide. "But...but...they tried to kill him?"

Ginny turned and began walking again. "Like I say, I don't know for sure. Ron seems to think so. Or they beat him up badly enough that he ended up in the hospital for a couple days."

Hermione's eyes were filling up again. "Why didn't he tell me," she said disconsolately.

Ginny sighed. "Hermione. He was crushing on you terribly. He wasn't going to tell you all this awful stuff and have you feel all sorry for him. He wanted you to like him, not pity him."

Hermione began sobbing again. "And the way I treated him..."

Ginny continued to walk, nearing the lake. She found a bench and the two sat down. "What happened between you two, anyway. Ron apparently knows but he wouldn't say anything."

Hermione continued to cry.

"You don't have to tell me. I understand," Ginny said soothingly.

"No, you don't understand. He liked me. And I...I froze. I hurt him. He was all I ever wanted and when he came to me, I didn't know what to do. I was scared. I thought this would change everything and ruin everything. I hurt him. He hates me. I only got what I deserved."

Ginny now started and grabbed her friend. "What happened? Tell me, Hermione."

Hermione's head hung in grief. "He told me I was pretty. He kissed me. In the library. And I froze. I wanted him forever and when he finally told me, I didn't know what to do."

"He kissed you?" Ginny said wistfully.

Hermione nodded, her head still down. "On the cheek. And I was so startled, I couldn't even look at him. I was embarrassed that I didn't know what to do. Here I fantasized about how he'd sweep me off my feet and when it happened, my mind went blank and I didn't react. I didn't say thank you. I didn't tell him I loved him. I didn't even look at him for fear I'd burst into tears or make a fool of myself. And he went running away. And I knew I'd been stupid and was embarrassed to face him. It was only after he left me a birthday gift and a card that I finally knew I could face him. But by then it was too late. I'm such a fool," she cried, bursting into a new round of sobbing.

Ginny lowered her head. "Why, Hermione? I know you liked him. Why didn't you jump him right there in the library. I would have."

"Because he was my best friend. Things were fine the way they were. I didn't want things to change. I didn't want to ruin everything," Hermione continued in desperation. "I didn't want to lose Harry as a friend," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

Hermione slowly shook her head, tearing up. "We were best friends. But if we were to become more than that, something would happen to ruin everything."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, frowning in puzzlement.

"It always happens that way. At least it always did. Whenever I got close to someone, something would happen and they would go away," she said mournfully.

"I still don't understand. Explain it to me," she said mildly.

Hermione lowered her head. "Before I came here, I never had any friends. Every time I thought someone liked me, who would be my friend, something would happen, someone would interfere and my friend would go away, would stop being my friend."

"What are you talking about?"

Hermione took a deep ragged breath.

"Before I came to Hogwarts, everyone thought I was weird. I loved school and I loved to read..."

"Well, I guess things haven't changed much," Ginny said with a small smile.

"No, you don't understand," Hermione said, looking up at Ginny with eyes brimming. "Books were always there when I was a child. They were the one constant, the one thing I could rely on."

Ginny shook her head, not understanding.

"You don't understand about growing up in the Muggle world having abilities, abilities you can't understand, that no one can understand. Whenever something happened, something that hurt me or something that I didn't like, bad things happened. If I had a fight with someone or someone called me names or teased me, something would happen to them. They would trip or get a sudden pain in their arm or leg like I punched them or kicked them. I used to get in trouble all the time when I was little. Adults thought I was hitting or kicking my classmates or playmates, but I never did a thing. I just thought those. Then things would happen when I got upset in front of grownups, and they wouldn't see me doing anything and turn on the kids I hurt and blame them for falsely accusing me."

Hermione took a long and ragged breath. "Then I would come home with reports from my teachers about bad behavior," she said sadly. "I would try to explain that it wasn't me. That things just seemed to happen. They were always sympathetic, but I could tell they were concerned. So I stopped telling them and tried to stick by the rules to keep out of trouble."

Ginny nodded in understanding.

"It was only when I learned that I was a witch, that I started reading about Hogwarts and the wizarding world, and eventually came here, that I realized that I was hexing the kids I didn't like without knowing it."

"Geez," said Ginny, wide eyed.

"But all my classmates and playmates came to look at me as someone weird, like there was something wrong with me. If anyone wanted to get close to me, to be my friend, the others would warn him or her off. 'Don't play with her,' they would say. 'She'll hurt you or get you in trouble,' they would say."

Ginny now looked at Hermione with something like sympathy.

"That's why I fell in love with books. They were always there. They wouldn't hurt me or betray me. I got to live other lives and discover new worlds that I had never knew existed," Hermione said wistfully.

"Then, when I was about ten years old, as I was leaving school one day, in tears over another incident, another slight, and I was met at the door by a nice old lady. She seemed to know me. I didn't quite trust her, but she just walked with me as I walked home. And she started talking to me about my life as if she knew me, as if she knew everything about me. She explained to me that I must learn to control my emotions, to control what was inside me that was causing all the problems. She told me some things I could do to control myself. And she told me that things would get better soon. That I would finally understand soon. Then she left me at the door to my house. I felt so much better, knowing someone understood."

Ginny was now absorbed in Hermione's tale.

"I told my parents about the nice old lady, but they were upset that I would be walking with and talking to a total stranger like that. But I guess they were relieved when I started to get a grip on my abilities. They had seen how miserable I'd been for so many years and were hoping that maybe I'd turned a corner."

Hermione sighed and continued. "But still, I couldn't seem to make any friends. They were still to wary of everything that had gone on in the past. And I know my parents were near despair over me, how I cried whenever there was a party or event and I wasn't invited, how no one ever came to play with me, that there seemed no one among my classmates who would talk to me or even come near me. Then, one day, the nice old lady who had helped me came to call."

Ginny's eyes were now wide. "Who was it," she whispered.

"That nice old lady turned out to be Professor McGonagall," Hermione said. "She sat down with my parents and explained about my abilities and powers, about what I was."

"Your parents must have been thrilled," Ginny said.

Hermione turned to Ginny, startled. "No. They were upset. They didn't know what to say. My father even got angry and threatened to throw McGonagall out of the house. But eventually he calmed down a little. And they listened."

"You have to realize that my parents are Muggles. They are dentists, trained in the sciences. They had been trained to dismiss the unexplainable, things that couldn't be scientifically demonstrated, with the utmost skepticism, as hocus-pocus."

Ginny giggled. "We all learned hocus-pocus as kids. It was how we showed we weren't squibs."

"Well, for my parents, hocus-pocus meant that something was bogus, a fraud," Hermione continued. "But McGonagall did a few simple spells, levitations and shrinking charms and lit the fire in the fireplace with her wand, and they were convinced that wizardry was real. I know they had a million questions, but I could see them biting their tongues."

"McGonagall then explained about Hogwarts, and how I could learn to channel and develop my powers. And how I would be among people of my own kind, that I wouldn't be a freak, an outcast."

"What did they say?" Ginny asked.

"They were upset. They cried a lot and hugged me. They didn't want this for me. They had hoped to see me at the best Muggle public school and go to university. To make something of my life in the Muggle world. But most of all, they wanted me to be happy. And they saw that I wasn't, that I had never been happy. They saw that they were the only people in the world who loved me, who cared about me. They weren't just my haven from the troubles of the outside world. They were my entire world. That my parents and my books were the only things in my life. That everything outside of that had caused me pain."

Now Ginny was weeping, too, quietly in sympathy for her friend.

"McGonagall left a few books with me, including Hogwarts: A History, and left. My mum and dad and I cried a lot that night and my parents seemed to be distracted and upset for the next several days. Finally, one night, they sat me down and asked if I wanted to go to Hogwarts. I had read a lot of Hogwarts: A History, and the more I read, the more I understood what I was. I began to look at coming here as the adventure I had always dreamed of, where I could find friends, excitement and love that I never experienced in the Muggle world." Tears were now flowing freely down Hermione's face.

"I told my parents how much I loved them. But I also told them that, more than anything else in the world, I wanted to go to Hogwarts. I told them I didn't really want to be separated from them, but that I knew that I would have to if I were to really be someone, to be happy. They said that they had always been prepared to let me go away to a proper public school if I had wanted and that they were prepared to let me go. Again, we cried a lot that night. My dad then took out a letter--my Hogwarts letter--and removed a small parchment that was included. He and my mother signed it and went out to the back yard. He gave it to an owl that had taken up residence in our hickory tree out there and the owl took off. I was going to Hogwarts."

Ginny sighed through her tears as Hermione continued.

"I read all the books Professor McGonagall gave me several times that summer. I wanted to be prepared. And when McGonagall picked me up to go to Diagon alley, she let me try a couple simple spells. They worked. I was so excited. I really was a witch."

"I was so worried that I would be unprepared, a freak, when I boarded the Hogwarts Express. But then I found a compartment with Neville Longbottom, Stan Quince..."

"From Hufflepuff?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, and Megan Jones, who also went to Hufflepuff. They were all so nervous and hadn't read all that I had. And they were all so nice, and Neville seemed so endearingly clumsy that I lost whatever fears I felt. And then Trevor got away from Neville ..."

"It's a wonder that Neville still has that wandering toad," Ginny giggled.

"...I was the one to take charge to track him down. That's when I met Ron and Harry."

"What was that like?" Ginny asked wistfully.

"Well Harry seemed shy, but he had that same sweet smile. I fixed his glasses with a simple charm. And Ron was...well, Ron. He was covered with candy wrappers and had chocolate all over his face, and his nose was smudged from some dumb spell he tried to cast that backfired. They were so cute."

"So you liked them right away," Ginny said.

"Well, I guess. I wasn't exactly looking for boyfriends at that time. I hadn't even turned eleven yet. But having met those two, even more than from meeting Neville, Stan and Megan, I got such a warm feeling. I finally knew I was going to like it at Hogwarts."

"Then, Ron, Harry and I were all sorted into Gryffindor and I was so excited. They were so nice. And Harry was a lot like me. He had been raised as a Muggle and knew even less magic than I did. But he seemed so open and friendly. And Ron accepted me right away, even if he grumbled about me being bossy."

"Then, on Halloween, I heard Ron make a nasty remark about me, and how annoying I was and how I didn't have any friends." Hermione's eyes began to well up again. "I know Harry must have said something to him, but I didn't hear. All I could think of was that it was starting all over again. All the bad things I experienced in Muggle school was starting again. Maybe I was a freak. Maybe I didn't deserve to have friends," Hermione was weeping openly again.

"Ron is so stupid, half the time, it's a wonder nobody's hexed him into another dimension," Ginny said darkly, giving Hermione a consoling hug.

"I ran into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and spent the rest of the day crying and thinking maybe I should go home. At least I knew my parents loved me, even if no one else did."

"Then you were attacked by the troll," Ginny prompted.

"Yes, and Harry and Ron saved me. And everything changed. I realized they did like me, after all. And they did want to be my friends. The first friends I ever had. And the best friends I've ever had. And I didn't want to lose them."

Hermione looked down at her hands disconsolately. "And I figured that if Harry and I got together, Ron would go away, like when I was a child. Then something would happen between Harry and I and Harry would go away and I'd be alone again. Oh, Ginny, I wanted to be with Harry so badly, but I was afraid. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted things to be the way they were with Harry and Ron always there with me together."

Ginny sat back on the bench, her arm around Hermione to comfort her. She sat there a long time, thinking.

Finally, Ginny turned to Hermione. "Hermione, I feel bad that you never had friends when you were young. But you had to realize how much Harry cared about you. And how you hurt him."

Hermione squeezed her eyes closed, tears once again dripping down the side of her face. "I didn't mean to," she said in a tiny voice. "I just wasn't expecting..."

Ginny frowned at her friend in exasperation. "He's been wearing his heart on his sleeve since we picked him up at the vicarage."

"I didn't know," Hermione said, tears beginning to form. She turned on her side and curled up. "I kept thinking that maybe he didn't like me that way," she said in a small voice.

Ginny closed her eyes and shook her head. Could this girl be any thicker?

"Hermione. What did you tell me about Sara when we picked up Harry at the end of the summer?"

"I don't know," Hermione said, now crying.

"I remember exactly what you told us, Hermione. She knew you right away. Sarah said Harry had told her all about you," Ginny said coolly.

"So what. What's he doing talking to some other girl about me behind my back," Hermione whined.

Ginny leaned back, closing her eyes and sighing. "Hermione. If a boy wants a girl to be his girlfriend, he doesn't tell her how much he likes another girl. He doesn't tell the girl 'all about you.' That's lesson number one in the 'boy handbook.' I think even Neville knows that one," said Ginny.

Hermione sunk down on the bench in a sulk.

"Hermione, Sara was pretty, right?"

Hermione grimaced. "I guess...You were there. You saw her. Wearing these shocking white shorts. They came practically up to her ... well, you know."

Ginny leveled her gaze at Hermione.

"And yet this pretty girl in the sexy shorts knew you right away, came up and smiled and hugged you and chatted with you."

Hermione pouted. "If you call threatening me a chat, yes, we chatted."

Ginny looked puzzled. "Threatened? What did she say?"

"She told me I better take care of Harry because she would always be there ready if I didn't."

Ginny gasped in exasperation. "Listen. There's only a couple reasons why a boy would tell a girl he's with all about his friendship with another girl. First, to warn off the girl he is with, to send a message that he's not available. The second reason is because he can't help it. That all he can think of is this other girl. It sends the same message even more strongly to the girl he's with."

"What message?' Hermione said, looking up at Ginny.

"That he's in love, you dope," Ginny said firmly.

Hermione simply hung her head. She was supposed to be the smartest witch in Hogwarts. She could assess people and situations and act decisively, except when it came to those closest to her. When it came to things that were really important to her, she despaired that she would succeed at academics and fail at life. Ginny embraced Hermione again, her eyes closed in sorrow and grief for her friend. After a long moment, Ginny whispered softly. "Why didn't you talk to someone? Why didn't you come to me?"

Hermione shook her head against Ginny's shoulder. "I couldn't talk to Parvati or Lavender. They would have laughed at me. Or yelled at me. Or told everyone in school and I'd be a laughing stock."

"You couldn't come to me?" Ginny asked.

Hermione gave a great heavily sigh and began to whimper. "I didn't think...I was afraid you might be...I don't know...you liked Harry, too."

Ginny nodded, her own tears beginning to flow silently. "I should have told you," she said absently.

Hermione, leaning her head against Ginny's shoulder, sighed. "Told me what?"

Ginny released Hermione and hung her head. "About the letter."

Hermione looked up at Ginny with glistening eyes. "What letter?"

Ginny sighed again. "Harry wrote Ron at the beginning of the summer telling Ron he liked you. Ron went into a sulk for weeks. Ron kind of liked you, too. And you know how Ron can get. It was only after a couple weeks of badgering him that he told me about it. I practically broke his broom over his head before he promised to write Harry back."

"You knew how Harry felt? And Ron feels?" Hermione said with sad eyes.

Ginny began to weep. "I'm sorry Hermione. I should have told you. But I was jealous. And Ron really liked you, too. And I didn't want to lose any chance at Harry to you, or hurt Ron by telling you. Ron made me promise never to breath a word of any of this to you or anyone. But I should have told you anyway. If I knew what was going on between you and Harry, I would have. I know I would have. You're my friend. Better you with Harry than Parvati."

Hermione snorted with disgust. "That tramp. The only reason he's with her is because she lets him sleep with her," she said bitterly.

Ginny started. "But they haven't..."

Hermione gave Ginny an icy look. "Of course they have. Ron as much as admitted it. She and Harry spent three nights together in the common room after curfew before they faced Voldemort. The tramp. I thought Harry had better judgment than that," she said with disdain.

Ginny closed her eyes and a small smile crept across her face. "Hermione. Harry and Parvati haven't had sex. Not yet, anyway."

Hermione stared at Ginny. "How do you know?"

Ginny sighed. "Because I told Ron the same thing yesterday. That Harry just wanted sex. Ron laughed at me. He said Harry was going crazy, asking all kinds of stupid questions about what would happen if it ever went that far. Ron said that it sounded like Harry was scared to death that he wouldn't know what to do--that he was afraid of being a horizontal squib," she said, shaking her head and chuckling.

"A what...?" Hermione asked, startled.

Ginny chuckled again. "A horizontal squib. You know, 'No magic in bed'."

Hermione stopped dead, her mouth open and her face flushing. "Ginny!"

Ginny turned back to Hermione with a smile. "Oh, come on. As if you haven't wondered about all that stuff. Or have you and Viktor Krum been at it already without us knowing?" she said with a mischievous grin. "Doing a little studying after curfew?"

Hermione's face turned crimson. "I have not..."

Ginny continued to chuckle.

Hermione stared at Ginny. "But what about all those stories in the newspapers? The lovers in the forbidden forest and all that?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hermione, you of all people should know better than to trust the wizarding press."

Hermione's shoulders suddenly sunk. "But what about those nights they spent together..."

Ginny paused. "I don't know if I should tell you this..."

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyes full of anxiety.

Ginny hung her head again. "They were plotting to get her and Ron together. And you and Harry together."

Hermione let out a small moan. "Oh, no. Oh, no. She kept asking about Harry and me. I thought she was planning to steal him. I kept telling her to mind her own business. Don't tell me she was trying to set me straight," she cried, bursting into tears again.

Once again, Ginny embraced Hermione and held her a long time.

It was beginning to get dark and chilly. "Come on, Hermione. Let's get back. It's not the end of the world. And look at Parvati's track record with boys. How long did she last with Dan Turley in sixth year? A month? And Justin Finch-Fletchley in Hufflepuff? Two months? And Kevin Entwhistle of Ravenclaw? Another two months? And that guy from Beauxbatons? Two dates? There's hope for us yet," she said with a dry chuckle.

Hermione slid her arm around Ginny's waist and took a deep breath. "I don't know. I don't think he'll ever forgive me. I've been so stupid, I don't think I deserve him," she said sadly.

Ginny giggled softly. "If you don't want him, I'll take him."

For the first time in two weeks, Hermione smiled. "Well..." she said with a sigh, as the girls walked back to the castle. As they strolled back, Hermione gave Ginny a warm squeeze. "Thank you. Thank you, Ginny," she whispered.

* * *

It was at dinner that Professor McGonagall announced that there would be a prefects meeting immediately following the meal.

Hermione cast a quick glance over toward Harry, who looked up at her and shrugged. The meal ended without further ado.

Parvati whispered something to Harry as he rose. Hermione heard her mention Harry's shoes. Hermione glanced down briefly and noticed they were the same worn-out penny loafers he had worn for since the beginning of fourth year.

Hermione knew they had belonged to Harry's cousin and in the beginning of Harry's fourth year, he had taken to wearing two pair of work socks to fit into them. He kept them polished, but they were beginning to fray terribly. Hermione recalled chiding him, just as Parvati was doing, to wear the nice shoes the Strowbridges had bought him, but he refused, saying they were his Sunday shoes. Hermione sighed, understanding some of Parvati's exasperation. Then her thoughts clouded and she proceeded to the grand staircase to climb to the first floor to the meeting room next to the Head Boy's and Head Girl's office and rooms where prefects meetings were held.

The prefects took their assigned seats and looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Harry turned to Millie Bulstrode, but she seemed uncharacteristically quiet. Just past her, Draco had his notebook opened to a blank page and seemed simply to stare at the empty space. On the other side, Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst seemed to be quietly chatting and Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan seemed subdued. The sixth and seventh year prefects seemed no less puzzled, although they also appeared a little more relaxed. What could be so important that it couldn't wait another day for the regularly scheduled meeting?

The door opened and Professor McGonagall swept in with Roger Davies and Angelina Johnson on her heels. McGonagall took a position behind the lectern between Roger and Angelina at the head of the table.

She looked down at each of the prefects. She cleared her throat and began.

"I have some rather disturbing news. We all have seen the newspapers and heard the Ministry statements about the fall of Voldemort..."

There was some uncomfortable shifting from a few of the prefects at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, but not as much as there would have been a week earlier.

"Ahem," McGonagall continued. "It seems that those statements were in error. Voldemort lives, according to newly uncovered evidence."

There were some grumblings and a couple gasps. Harry merely sat there stoically and nodded, drawing stares from several prefects.

Again, McGonagall cleared her throat for attention. "It is the opinion of some very savvy people that the immediate threat from the Dark Lord has lessened. But that does not mean that everyone is safe. There is fear that some of his followers may attempt random and uncoordinated, but nonetheless very dangerous, retaliatory strikes against the wizarding world as a result of his ignominious defeat in the Forbidden Forest."

McGonagall glanced briefly at Harry then returned to her notes. "As such, we must all redouble our efforts to be vigilant. To that end, we..." and she glanced down at Roger and Angelina, who looked perplexed. "We have decided to institute a more extensive series of prefect patrols than existed in the past."

The prefects began looking at each other with concern.

McGonagall took deep breath. "Therefore, beginning tomorrow night, we will be assigning two prefects each to four-hour shifts to patrol the halls from 10:00 p.m. curfew through to 6:00 am. That will mean two of you will be needed to patrol the halls from 10:00 to 2:00 to be relieved by a second pair of prefects for a 2:00 to 6:00 am shift."

The low grumbling in the room was now becoming more audible.

McGonagall sighed again. "Might I remind you that the most recent attack occurred not more than 100 yards outside the Hogwarts' grounds in the Forbidden Forest. As we speak, the anti-apparation wards are being extended to cover most of the forest and the surrounding areas up to the Hogsmeade town boundary," she said primly. "However, the very brazenness of the last attack has sent us a clear message that the Death Eaters know no limits in their willingness to attack us. Therefore, as prefects, it will be up to you to help protect the school."

Terry Boot raised his hand.

McGonagall sighed yet again. "Mr. Boot?"

Terry blinked a couple times. "Won't this interfere with our studies...and our classes?"

McGonagall nodded slightly. "We have attempted to take that into account. We have drawn up a schedule for you in an attempt to accommodate your studies. I will go over that with you in a moment. Let me just tell you that we have attempted to work out a system that provides a maximum of protection with the minimum of disruptions. One of the steps we have taken is to pair you up with appropriate partners and assign you schedules that will pose the least difficulties to your work."

She turned back to her notes and picked up a schedule. "First, let me tell you that there will be assigned schedules and partners. You may not deviate from your schedules or partners except that each pair may decide who takes the earlier shift and who takes the later shift. If there comes a time where a conflict in a pairing develops, you may request a change. However, for the time being, the schedules and pairings will be firm."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He gave a silent prayer that he wouldn't be paired with Malfoy, and just as quickly prayed that Hermione be spared that, as well.

McGonagall cleared her throat again. "Now, there are 24 prefects in addition to the Head Boy and Head Girl. That means that six nights of the week can be covered on a regular rotation. The seventh night, which we have decided will be Saturday night, the staff will assume patrol duties. Miss Johnson and Mr. Davies will serve as auxiliary patrollers should anyone not be able to fulfill his or her duties on a given night. But let me warn you," she said firmly. "No frivolous excuses will be accepted. You best be on death's door if you expect to be excused. Further, we understand that patrolling on a Friday night would work something of a hardship on those who might be assigned that particular night. So the four prefects assigned to patrol on those nights will be allowed to trade off with other prefects on a voluntary basis. For any prefect accepting voluntary patrol duty on a Friday night out of rotation, their house will be awarded 10 points."

McGonagall took a deep breath. "Now, the pairings and the schedules. Starting tomorrow night and for Thursdays to come, Miss Hermione Granger, fifth year Gryffindor, and Mr. Andrew Stebbins, seventh year Hufflepuff. Next pairing. Mr. Harry Potter, fifth year Gryffindor, and Miss Janet McDonald, seventh year Hufflepuff. Friday nights..."

Harry looked across the room at the seventh year table. He knew Andy Stebbins from Quidditch, a smooth flying if not particularly strong beater. But he didn't really know Janet McDonald. She was tall and not very pretty, with a long, pleasant face and long red hair, and a quiet air about her. She looked back at him and nodded. He noticed Stebbins shrug at Hermione with a resigned look on his face. Harry gave himself a small internal smile. 'At least we're not stuck with Malfoy.'

At the end of the meeting, there was much discussion and grumbling among the prefects. And no one grumbled more than Dana Crews and Stephanie Kosky, sixth-year Hufflepuffs, and Sue Fawcett and Henry Hemphill, sixth-year Ravenclaws, who drew the short straws: Friday night duty. So the four were delighted when they were approached by the fifth year Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, who offered to take a shift for whoever wished a Friday night off. 'Undisturbed use of the library' was his only comment when they asked why. The four sixth years were satisfied and thought not to question further.

* * *

"I know why you were paired with me," Janet said as she and Harry sat down at desks in front of the Head Boy's and Girl's office on the first floor.

Harry looked over to her, still a little muzzy from being awakened at 1:40 am. "Yeah," he muttered. "Because you don't have any Friday classes until 11:00 either," he muttered through a yawn.

She shook her head slowly. "Neither do any of the seventh years except for those taking N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration," she said mildly.

Harry turned to her with little interest. "Okay, why?"

She turned to look down. "Because Defense Against the Dark Arts was my worst subject. I guess they figured if they paired me up with someone, it would have to be someone really good. And you are probably the best here at DADA. I could never fight off You-Know-Who."

Harry frowned. "Okay, if you say so," he muttered. Then he paused. "Listen, you heard the instructions McGonagall gave. If there is any sign of trouble, any intruders, any problems, step behind me and give the alarm spell. I'll keep you safe," he said soothingly.

She smiled at him. "I know, Harry. Any sign of trouble: Increpare."

* * *

It was 2:45 a.m. when Harry put his potions book down and turned to Janet. She had been reading a History of Magic text, but now appeared to be writing a letter. "Bored?" he asked.

Janet shrugged. "I guess."

"Well, we might as well get the first set of rounds over with. Maybe we can scare Filch, or maybe even Mrs. Norris," he said with a grin.

Janet chuckled. "That's not nice," she said, rising.

Harry smiled. "Or maybe we can catch some really late-night snoggers in the Astronomy Tower," he said with a chuckle, joining her as they began walking down the hallway toward the East staircases.

As they strolled, Janet turned to Harry. "I never knew you and Parvati were a couple."

Harry gave a wan smile. "Well, it sort of happened recently."

Janet sighed. "Still, you could have fooled me," she said, making a face. She paused and then continued. "I just don't get you Gryffindors. You are the most unromantic people I have ever seen."

Harry looked at her with a puzzled, slightly annoyed expression. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Janet gave him a surprised look. "Well, look at you. You and Parvati are a couple, but I never see you acting like it."

Harry sighed in exasperation. "We've only been a couple about a week."

Janet shook her head. "Okay, don't take you as an example. Name me another couple in Gryffindor."

Harry frowned as they passed through the entrance to the stairwells. He peered down the vast stairwell complex, then up to where it branched off between the Gryffindor Tower and the North Tower. He then cleared his throat. "Well, Fred and Katie Bell. And George and Angelina, I guess."

"Fred and Katie?" Janet exclaimed. "I always kind of suspected George and Angelina, although you'd never know it the way they act around each other. But I didn't know about Fred and Katie."

Harry blinked. Neither did he, he thought, until Parvati mentioned it.

"Who else?" she asked.

Harry pursed his lips as he continued to scan the stairwells. "Well, I think o couple of my firsties have the makings of a couple. Oh...and Rachel Weiss and Tony Goldstein."

Janet rolled her eyes. "Tony's in Hufflepuff with me. Of course I knew about them. I mean within Gryffindor. You don't all live like monks and nuns, do you?"

Harry paused at the third floor entrance. "I just want to take a peek," he said as he walked onto the floor and glanced up and down the empty corridor. As he returned to the landing, Janet was giving him a smug smile.

"No answer?"

Harry shrugged.

Janet shook her head. "See, that's the difference between the houses. In Hufflepuff, if a girl and a boy are a couple, they have no problem letting other people know. I mean, we don't shout it from the rooftops or anything, but if a couple wants to cuddle, they cuddle. If they want to hold hands, they hold hands."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, thinking about how sweet it was that Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan were always holding hands, and how he had seen Susan Bones snuggle under big Wayne Hopkins arm after classes on several occasions. And, of course, Pamela Hutchinson and Michael Corner were constantly fighting and making up in plain view.

Harry sighed. "But that's just Hufflepuff."

Janet chuckled softly as they passed through the doors to the fourth floor to check the classrooms. "It's the same thing with Ravenclaw. You see the boys and the girls who have paired off. They are always walking together or in the library together. They aren't as demonstrative, but you can see who are couples. That's why a lot of us thought you and Hermione were a couple. You were doing the same thing at the beginning of the year."

Harry frowned, wanting to change the subject. "What about Slytherin?"

Janet let out a quiet but hearty laugh. "They're the easiest of all. Just watch the way a Slytherin girl watches her boy, or how a Slytherin boy reacts whenever another boy goes near his girl. It's a real territorial thing. Like they are always ready to pounce whenever someone threatens their turf."

Harry gave Janet a blank expression.

Janet rolled her eyes again. "Okay, here's one not even you could miss. Just look at your 'friends' Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. You always see her near him, watching like some sort of predator. And have you ever seen Pansy talking to another boy, in Slytherin or in any of the other houses?"

Harry pondered this. "I guess not," he said absently.

Janet nodded knowingly. "But not with you Gryffindors. You boys keep these walls around you like you're afraid of catching some dread disease or like you'd be cursed into the next dimension if you were ever caught looking at another girl. And the girls are just as bad. The only relationships anyone ends up knowing about are the ones with people outside your own houses. Last year, we had a pool going as to who would go with who to the Yule Ball. There were, what, 14 Gryffindor couples who went to the ball? Wayne Hopkins won the pool by making joke picks. He got seven right, including you and Parvati," she said with a laugh.

Janet finally caught her breath as they returned to the stairwell to climb up to the fifth floor and continued. "And half the time, when we see a Gryffindor couple on a date, we don't even know if they are actually a couple or just happened to show up at the same place at the same time by accident. You Gryffindors have got to be the least romantic people on Earth. That's why it's nice to see you and Parvati together. I figure she's one of the few Gryffindors capable of breaking that monastic mold you all seem to be cast from."

Harry was now in a funk. "We're romantic," he muttered, knowing it was an exaggeration, if not an outright lie, as he continued making the rounds. Then his mind wandered to Parvati and he smiled. 'I like holding hands with Parvati,' he thought, vowing to be a little more Hufflepuff in the future.