Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Friday night finally arrived, an evening when the Gryffindors always stayed up well after hours in the common room, discussing their plans for the next day. Today's conversation mainly concerned, obviously, the next day's trip to Hogsmeade, and the air was filled with excitement.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and a few other Gryffindors had, at long last, finished an hour-long pillow fight. Harry was now seated comfortably in one of the immense scarlet chairs. Hermione was perched easily atop the arm of the chair, leaning a bit against Harry's shoulder, as she absently ran her slender fingers through his mess of black hair while staring off into space.

"Ron, just go ask her already," Harry said in an exasperated voice as his best friend continued to make goo-goo eyes at a fellow Gryffindor fifth year.

"Like I have a chance," Ron said wistfully as he gazed longingly at the object of his affection.

"For heaven's sake, Ron, what's the worst that could happen?" Hermione demanded.

"She could turn me down."

"Look, Ron, if you don't go ask her this minute I'm going to sock you right in the nose. Got it?" Harry said in a very threatening tone as he began cracking his knuckles menacingly.

Ron paled at the thought of Harry walloping him one, especially after seeing the power Harry packed when he fought with Malfoy only last month, so he obediently stood and walked nervously over to the fireplace.

"Parvati? Could I have a word with Lavender ... alone?" he stuttered as the color returned to his freckled cheeks full-force.

"Sure, Ron. Meet you upstairs, Lav," Parvati said as she gave her best friend a sly smile and then retreated to the staircase that lead to the girls' dormitories.

Ron swallowed and glanced around the quickly emptying common room. "That Herbology class today was a killer, eh?" he said in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

Lavender simply nodded and continued watching him curiously.

"Don't think I'll ever get the dirt out from under my nails," he rambled as he glanced down at his nails and began examining them as though he'd never seen them before.

"Ron Weasley." Ron looked up at Lavender as she slipped her hands into his. "Are you going to ask me to Hogsmeade tomorrow or not?"

Ron gave Lavender his biggest lopsided grin. "Only if you want me to."

Lavender smiled sweetly back. "Meet me here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning and we can have breakfast together before we go."

"Alright," was all Ron could muster in response. He was still savoring the feeling of her hands in his when Lavender leaned in and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "See you in the morning," she said before she walked off and ascended the staircase, casting Ron a glance over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner.

Ron turned slowly to face Harry and Hermione. His eyes were wide, his face was flushed, and he wore an expression goofier than the one that had been plastered across his face the day he asked Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball.

"Go to bed, you lady killer," Hermione said, biting back laughter, as she swatted at him.

"Yeah, we're obviously not good enough for you anymore," Harry said in a faux-haughty voice.

Ron's smile only grew wider; without a word, he turned around again and sauntered up the staircase.

"Like she would have turned him down. She's only been writing his name in little hearts all over her assignments for the last three weeks," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes at Ron's unnecessary worries.

"And whose name have you been writing on your assignments?" Harry asked mischievously.

"Why mine, of course," Hermione replied innocently as she shot Harry a smile. "I think I'd better go to bed, it's getting late. See you in the morning."

Harry reached out and grabbed Hermione's wrist before she could walk away. "Take a late-night stroll with me."

"But Harry, it's eleven o'clock ..."

"That's why it's late-night. Please?" he asked, his eyes pleading. He wasn't sure why wanted her to stay, but he knew that he didn't want her to leave him tonight, not just yet.

Hermione sighed heavily. "Okay, if you really want me to."

Now it was Harry's turn to smile. "Good. Meet me back here in five minutes?"

Hermione nodded and the two parted ways.

A few flights of stairs later, Hermione entered into her dormitory. Parvati and Lavender were sprawled out on Parvati's bed, wearing silk pajamas and gossiping.

"Going out again?" Parvati asked incredulously as Hermione gathered up Harry's Quidditch cloak and headed back in the general direction of the door.

"Yes, actually, I am," Hermione responded. "I should be back in an hour or so, so leave the door unlocked, will you? I practically woke up the entire castle last week trying to break into my own room."

"Of course," Parvati said nonchalantly before lowering her voice and talking to Lavender once more.

Hermione shook her head as she closed the door to her room and headed back down the stairs. It wasn't that she held anything personal against either Parvati or Lavender, but she and they had never really clicked, and she wasn't sure how she'd so far managed to survive sharing living quarters with them for four and a half years.

"Ready?" Harry asked as he and Hermione rounded the corners of their opposite staircases simultaneously.

"Yes. I suppose you'll be wanting this back," she said as she walked nearer to him and held out his cloak.

Harry waved it away. "Keep it. I have spares. Besides, I think it'll be another cold night tonight, you may need it yet."

Hermione smiled gratefully as she slung the heavy cloak over her shoulder, and accepted the invisibility cloak that Harry draped over them both. "So what are your plans for this evening?"

"Just a walk down to the lake with my best friend. How does that sound?" Harry asked as the pair began following the familiar route to the lake.

"Delightful. The skies are clear tonight, we should have a perfect view of the stars."

"Perfect ... owwww," Harry said a bit too loudly as he stubbed his toe on a protruding stone. A few seconds later, his ears perked and he stopped walking. He held out his arm to stop Hermione from walking out from under the invisibility cloak, and she looked at him questioningly. "Do you hear something?" he whispered. She listened carefully and her eyes grew bigger as she realized who it was.

"Shit. Snape and Filch," Harry muttered.

"Harry, language," Hermione reprimanded under her breath as she and Harry shuffled into an empty classroom as quietly as possible.

"Who's there?" Snape's voice was as soft as lace, and as deadly as arsenic. "I know you're in here," he continued as he pushed the classroom door open wider and walked in, Filch following close at his heels. Mrs. Norris soon waddled in as well, her squinted yellow eyes searching for what her nose sensed but her eyes couldn't see. Mrs. Norris followed Harry and Hermione's scents until she had them backed into a corner. Hermione's eyes were wide with fear; if she were caught under these circumstances, she would certainly be relieved of all prefect duties, not to mention the havoc Snape would probably wreak on Gryffindor's House Points. Harry could sense her fright and pulled her tightly to him, careful not to disturb the invisibility cloak too much.

"Who do you smell, Mrs. Norris?" Filch asked sinisterly. Mrs. Norris continued sniffing for the two Gryffindor fifth years, and was growing fretfully close. Finally, when she was less than three inches away from Hermione's slippered feet, Harry bent down, put one arm under Hermione's knees and the other across her back, and picked her up off the ground. Hermione's arms immediately went around Harry's neck, and both teens held their breath and hoped the cat wouldn't come any closer.

"No one's here, my pet. What's say we go back to the room and warm up a nice bowl of milk for you, eh?" Filch suggested after a moment to Mrs. Norris, who immediately ran over to her owner and began purring. "Care to join me for a cuppa, Severus?" Filch offered in a rare act of hospitality. Snape gave the classroom one last sneering glance before he exited the room and closed the heavy door behind him.

Harry let out a sigh of relief, and his warm breath tickled Hermione's neck as he spoke. "That was close. Very close."

Hermione slid down out of Harry's grasp, but his arms still remained loose around her waist. She shivered at his closeness and, once again, hoped he would think it was from the temperature of the dank classroom. Harry, of course, felt her shiver, and carefully wrapped his Quidditch cloak around her for the second time in two days. "You'll need this for when we're down by the lake," he said softly. Hermione nodded, avoiding his eyes, and Harry adjusted the invisibility cloak around the two of them before they ducked out of the classroom.

Hermione couldn't help but notice that when the moon reflected onto the lake, it made the placid water and surrounding trees seem as though they were part of another world. She knelt down and carefully ran a finger across the top of the water, and watched in child-like amazement as the ripples moved further and further away. Ripples had always fascinated her, knowing that such a small movement, such a small change, could create such an impact.

Although the lake was indeed very scenic, Harry was focused on the beautiful girl who made the view complete. He couldn't help but notice how the starlight playing on Hermione's features made her look like a glowing goddess, or how the wind that was blowing kept threatening to completely remove the loosely-tied ribbon that kept her wild hair tamed tonight.

"This is really insane," Harry thought to himself. "She's my best friend, I can't be having these thoughts about her!" As if on cue, Hermione looked at Harry and gave him a slight smile before standing and wiping her wet hand on Harry's cloak to dry it. "But how do I stop?" Harry had time to ask himself before Hermione sat down beside him.

"It's breathtaking," she said, looking up at the stars.

"Yes. Yes it is," Harry agreed quietly as he watched the stars reflected in Hermione's dark brown eyes.

The two sat in silence for a little while longer.

"You know, when I was little, I used to look out my window at night and try to count the stars when I couldn't sleep," Hermione said, breaking the comfortable silence. "It was a completely absurd idea, of course, but it helped me sleep nonetheless. I was the girl who counted stars instead of sheep," she went on, a smile playing at her lips.

"I never had trouble sleeping. It was my only escape from the Dursleys," Harry said, failing to keep the scornful bite out of his voice.

Hermione turned her head to look Harry in the face, her eyes filled with sympathy. Harry held her gaze, his eyes asking for silent confirmation from hers. Cautiously, Hermione lifted one hand and caressed one of Harry's windburned cheeks with her fingertips. When skin met skin, Harry closed his eyes and let out an involuntary sigh. He reached over and took her other hand in his as she leaned her head against his shoulder and continued watching the night sky. Twenty minutes later, comforted by the warmth of Harry and the soft whistle of the blowing wind, an exhausted Hermione Granger fell asleep in Harry Potter's arms.

Harry ran into no troublesome figures on his way back to Gryffindor Tower, which was good, because he was still carrying a slumbering Hermione and would have had trouble explaining their circumstances to any passersby.

Once in the common room, Harry realized he had a slight dilemma. There was no way he was going to deposit Hermione in her own dormitory; there would be too many questions that he didn't particularly feel like answering. So he did the next best thing. He gently laid Hermione down on one of the large couches near the fireplace before poking the dying embers until there was a warm blaze crackling merrily. Then he grabbed his invisibility cloak and shot up to his dorm, where he deftly hid the invisibility cloak and changed into his pajamas without waking any of his roommates. Moments later, he was back downstairs in the common room again, adjusting the cloak around Hermione so she wouldn't become cold in the middle of the cool winter's night.

"Goodnight, 'Mione," he whispered to her as he leaned over and tenderly brushed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss. With that, he curled up in the chair closest to her and closed his eyes.

Hermione eyes fluttered open and she glanced at Harry for an instant before smiling knowingly to herself and going back to sleep.