I Won\'t

'First years!' Hermione called as they left the Great Hall. 'This way please!'

With Harry and Hermione leading the way, the Gryffindors headed up the Grand Staircase to the Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor.

'You enjoy being in charge, don't you?' Harry commented.

'Yes,' Hermione agreed. 'I like to have control.'

When they reached the Fat Lady's Portrait, Harry and Hermione explained the art of getting inside the common room.

'Day Lily,' Harry said to the Fat Lady. Her portrait swung to the side, letting them inside.

Everyone proceeded to the boys' and girls' dormitories. Hermione, however, decided to make herself comfortable in an armchair in the common room. It was already nine o'clock. In a half an hour, she would be patrolling the Astronomy Tower with Harry.

'Hermione, what are you doing down here?' Ginny asked, who had just come from the dormitory.

'Just thinking,' Hermione said dully.

'Harry told Ron, who told me about what happened on the train,' Ginny said, sitting down in another comfy armchair. 'Why didn't you come and find me?'

'I just wanted to sit and think for a bit,' Hermione told her.

'Well, if you ever want to just talk, I'm here for you,' Ginny said sympathetically. 'I know how boys can be.'

Hermione giggled. 'Thanks, Ginny,' she said. 'So, how was Blaise?'

Ginny smiled and leaned back in the armchair. 'Great,' she sighed. 'I didn't realise it over the summer, but I really missed snogging. It's hard to go that long with no male interaction except for Harry.'

'I suppose it did put a damper on things when I snogged him, didn't it?' Hermione said.

'No way!' Ginny said quickly. 'I mean, you two were bound to snog each other sooner or later; I mean, you can't spend an entire summer with a boy without something happening. Fred, George, Ron, and I placed bets.'

Hermione gaped at her. She couldn't say she was surprised though. 'Who won?' Hermione managed to ask.

'Me,' Ginny said, grinning proudly. 'Ron said it wouldn't happen at all. But I think that was more wishful thinking than anything else. Fred betted that you'd snog while you were still at your house. And George betted on you waiting until you got to Hogwarts. I said you'd snog while we were at Grimmauld Place. And I was right.' Hermione frowned. She couldn't believe her friends were placing bets revolving around her and Harry.

'Lupin made a guess, but didn't bet,' Ginny added. 'Good thing, too. He guessed that you'd wait until the last night there. He'd never let us forget that we lost a bet to him.'

Hermione blushed. Former teachers were even making guesses. 'Was anyone else taking guesses?'

'Well,' Ginny said, thinking for a moment. 'Mum hoped nothing would happen. She always wanted it to be you and Ron and Harry and I. But that's just because she wants you and Harry in the family. Dad said that things would work out for the best in the end. I'm not exactly sure what that meant... And Tonks told Mum that there was too much sexual tension between you and Ron. And it couldn't last longer than a few weeks, tops.'

'Was there anyone who didn't make a comment?' Hermione asked, not exactly directing her question at anyone.

'We tried to get something from Snape, but he wasn't up to answering our questions,' Ginny explained.

Hermione looked at her watch, rolling her eyes. 'Look, Ginny,' she said, picking up her handbag and standing up. 'I would love to stay and chat with you about my love life, but Harry and I are due in the Astronomy Tower.'

'The Astronomy Tower...' Ginny mocked her, raising an eyebrow playfully.

'Ginny! I'm Head Girl! We're patrolling!' Hermione yelled at her.

Ginny exploded into a fit of giggles. 'Let's go get Harry,' she said through her giggles. 'I think Dean might be up there. He always was a good kisser.'

Hermione rolled her eyes as they headed up to the boys' dormitory. She gently rapped on the door.

Ron opened it and looked back. 'Harry, lover-girl is here!' he called obnoxiously.

Harry, who seemed to have been running all around the dormitory, skidded to a halt in front of the door. 'Hermione, IfergottadodaessayferSna,' Harry said in one breath.

'The only word I understood out of that was Hermione,' Hermione said, staring at him. 'Really, you're almost as bad as Ron.'

'The essay for Snape,' Harry said quickly.

Ginny squeezed past Harry and Hermione, into the boys' dormitory. 'Oh, Dean!' she called in a sweet voice.

Hermione ignored Ginny, whom Ron was scolding for entering the boys' dormitory. 'You forgot to do it?' she assumed. She wasn't surprised. Harry and Ron were the biggest procrastinators she knew.

'No, I just forgot to finish it.'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Meet me in the Astronomy Tower once you're done,' she told him. She kissed him on the cheek before leaving Ginny, who was talking to Dean and still being scolded by Ron.

Hermione left out the Fat Lady's portrait and headed up the Grand Staircase to the Astronomy Tower. The castle was eerily quiet that night. Nothing but the sound of the staircases shifting every so often and the occasional noise from Peeves, who seemed to be entertaining himself by hiding inside of suits of armour and making them walk around the corridors.

Hermione reached the final staircase up to the Astronomy Tower. It was a long climb from the seventh floor. Just as she began to ascend the staircase, someone placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to scream shrilly.

'Miss Granger!' McGonagall whispered sharply. 'Be quiet!'

'Professor,' Hermione said, placing a hand on her chest. McGonagall had just scared the living daylights out of her, and she was punishing her for screaming. For some reason, this did not make sense to Hermione. 'You scared me.'

'I'm sorry, dear girl, but I need to see you in my office,' she said quietly.

'I'm supposed to patrol the Astronomy Tower,' Hermione said, pointing back at the door.

'I'm sure Mr. Potter can handle it,' McGonagall continued urgently. 'Where is he, by the way?'

'Well, that's the thing,' Hermione explained. 'Harry forgot to finish his Potions essay, and, well, you know that Professor Snape doesn't particularly like Harry, so he felt it would be best to finish it.'

McGonagall sighed. 'Well, this is much more important that.'

'Is something wrong, Professor?' Hermione asked.

'Not out here,' McGonagall whispered. 'The word may be about the school by tomorrow, but we'd like to keep this as quiet as possible.'

Hermione didn't ask any questions. She followed McGonagall back down the stairs in silence. Her mind and heart were racing. Just stay calm. Don't jump to any conclusions. Just because McGonagall doesn't want the school to know doesn't mean that it's necessarily bad.

McGonagall unlocked the door to her office, taking her time and avoiding Hermione's gaze as much as possible. She opened the door and let Hermione in, closing the door behind them.

'Please, sit down,' McGonagall said. But, unlike usual, it was an offer rather than an order.

She found it rather rude to turn down an offer like that, so Hermione sat down in front of the old oak desk. McGonagall sat down, taking her time, again, as she did so.

Hermione looked around nervously. She had never been called to a teacher's office without knowing what was in store for her, and she wasn't sure if she particularly liked it.

McGonagall shifted papers on her desk. She looked up to find Hermione staring at her. 'Miss Granger, would you like a biscuit?' she offered, motioning at a plate of Ginger Newts.

'No thank you,' Hermione said politely. She waited for McGonagall to say something, anything.

McGonagall took a deep breath. 'Hermione,' she said slowly. Her heart raced. Professors, especially McGonagall, never called their students by their first name. This was Hermione's first clue that something was not right. 'I'm afraid I have some bad news.'