The Second Goblin Rebellion

"...and in June of 1648, Gringott's was besieged by angry wizards..."

Hermione stifled a yawn, and stretched her arms over her head. With the help of Percy Weasley, former Hogwarts Head Boy and the very person who had set the current school record for Number of N.E.W.T.s Achieved (a record she was hoping to break), she'd spent the past eight Sundays reviewing seven years’ worth of History of Magic lessons. She normally found their study sessions rather exciting -- well, *anything* would be more exciting than Professor Binns's lectures, she reasoned to herself, feeling a momentary pang of guilt at besmirching a teacher, however dreadful the classes had been. The moment passed, however, as she mourned the waste of knowledge with no small amount of indignation. Honestly. You’d think a teacher of Dumbledore's caliber would at least hire a *living being* to teach such an important class!

Despite her considerable interest in the subject, after six hours of reviewing the motivations behind the Second Goblin Rebellion of 1647-51, even Hermione was ready for a break. Especially since for some reason she'd never really settled down enough to concentrate on the day's lesson...best to leave that line of thought for later, she scolded herself. Once she was safely back in her rooms, with nothing more pressing on her agenda for the evening than choosing a scent for her bath, she could analyze it properly.

Shaking her head slightly, she picked up her quill and refocused her attention on Percy, who was still wrapped up in explaining the differences between the First and Second Rebellions. He looks so much like Ron, she mused, and yet....

His face, shuttered and devoid of emotion around most people -- the result of years of the twins' teasing and practical jokes -- was flushed and happy, and his eyes sparkled as he spoke animatedly about the topic at hand. Somewhere along the line, he'd pushed a hand through his hair, and his usually tidy hair was sticking up in tufts. A particularly unruly strand kept falling over his right eye, and Hermione suddenly found herself wanting to push it back into place.

Startled, she shook her head slightly, looking down at her notes and outlines. What was she thinking? She was here to study for her N.E.W.T.s, and her best friend's older brother had kindly offered to help her review for History of Magic during the last month before the exam. That was all. This was no time to be distracted by fluffy romantic thoughts...or was it? She quickly glanced back at her tutor, who was still talking, and was taken aback to see him watching her intently.

Blue eyes met brown, and she shivered unconsciously. Percy faltered for a moment, then looked away and hurriedly continued speaking.

"Um...that is to say...if you remember to split the question into sections, and answer each section in a separate paragraph--mmph!"

Without quite knowing why she was doing so, Hermione had leaned over the table separating her from Percy, and kissed him. Caught off guard, he went perfectly still for the first second or two, then instinct kicked in and he was kissing her back, rising from his chair in an attempt to lean further across the table, to get closer to the girl who had suddenly, inexplicably, caused him to forget everything he had ever learned about the Second Goblin Rebellion...but gave him one more reason to appreciate the merits of studying the History of Magic.