Harry Potter and His New Standards

* Chapter 20 - Emodulo, Spanglish, & The Explanation Of A Lucky Guess *

This is a fault common to all singers, that among their friends they will never sing when they are asked; unasked, they will never desist.

*()%()*

Holly paged through Cretionis Lapillus: Fact & Legend while sitting on her bed. Everything was red, gold, or brown in that room and it normally drove her to near madness. Holly had always craved either cool colors like blue, purple, or evergreen, or white walls that she could splash with all sorts of paints, calling it the splotchy rainbow of her inner self. In the dormitory it was the color of blood, bravery, fire, and wealth. But, now she was simply focused on reading further into the Dedication process, and took no notice of the color scorching her eyes.

She had plunged into the book as soon as she had returned from Study of Ancient Runes. Screw lunch, she had thought, who needs to sit around everyone yacking on and on anyway? She hadn't discovered much in the text, though. There were no process outlines, no guide to contacting Elves, no recommendation as to what being to find to do the work. No 1-800 number to call either, she had mentally remarked, Damn it!

She slammed the book shut and threw it into the nearest post of Hermione's bed, half-hoping to break the thing in half. After staring moodily at the carved design of a fancy "G" in the wood of the bedpost, biting the inside of her cheeks irritably, she stood up and walked over to stand in front of Willow.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the prettiest, smartest, most potential-holding, most loved, nicest, and best Quidditch player of them all?" she asked, looking at her reflection. A tired sigh was returned to her.

" My dear Holly Black, is something ailing you?" replied Willow.

"You didn't answer my question," Holly retorted, pointing a finger at her reflection and narrowing her eyes. There was a silence in which the wood framing of the mirror creaked as though it was smiling.

"As I have not been looked into by every human on this earth, I can not tell you true. But I guarantee you are all of those adjectives, perhaps not the highest of each but still, and I imagine you must be a very good, what did you call it, Quidditch player." The mirror paused a moment before adding, "And I do believe I'm on the floor, not the wall." Holly glanced down at the bottom of the mirror and nodded.

"Yeah, you are," she replied, "But, ya know what, Willow?"

"What, dear?"

"Parvati is prettier, Hermione is smarter, Lavender has so much potential for being a ditz it isn't even funny, all three of them are loved beyond belief, and Ginny is nicer and a much better Chaser than I am." She collapsed onto the floor with her legs crossed forming a perfect pretzel shape and growled at the floorboards. The mirror creaked at her again, but not in a smiling manner.

"You're a mess."

"I could be worse," she muttered, drumming a block solo on the floor with her fingernails. Tap-TAP! Tap-tap, TAP! Tap-tap, TAP-tap, tap-TAP! Tap-tap, TAP! Tap-tap, TAP! Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, TAP!

"I've missed your singing every morning." The mirror chuckled after this statement. "If something is troubling you, you sing do you not?" Holly nodded, still staring at her fingertips tapping on the floor. "Why don't you do that?" She shook her head quickly.

"Yeah, Hermione's been hogging the mirror. I mean - you. Probably getting all pretty for The Gangly and Freckled One," Holly scoffed, still drumming on the floor but in no particular beat. She shook her head, glaring over to her side. The mirror creaked at her but Holly didn't ask about it.

"I thought you were fond of that one... wasn't he in here once with the boy with the glasses?" Holly nodded. "Hmmm..." added Willow, "What about singing then?" She shook her head once more and looked back into the eyes of her reflection.

"Nothing to sing about." She paused only a moment before changing the subject completely and pressing Willow the mirror with a question. "Do you know anything about Elves?"

"I only know of what I have once reflected, nothing of Elves. I've heard talk of them only once... someone reciting the language of their kind. Elvish it was called, I believe." Holly sighed. "Why?"

"Nothing," Holly said, lowering herself down onto her back. After lying there looking at the ceiling for a moment she sat up, grabbed for her wand, and scooted across the floor to her trunk. After it was opened, she began digging for something that must be at the very bottom.

*()%()*

Meanwhile, Harry had used the knocker on Dumbledore's office door to alert him of his presence. "You may entered," answered the headmaster's somewhat grave voice. Harry, relieved at that Dumbledore had not left for the Great Hall, slowly pushed the door open. The sight of the rather familiar office greeted him, the sleeping portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses on the walls, Fawkes the phoenix sitting on his perch, the different interesting magical objects, and Dumbledore... sitting behind his desk, his hand resting on a piece of parchment. "Ah, Harry," he said, "may I be of assistance?"

"Um, I just have something to tell you," Harry said, slipping inside the office and closing the door noiselessly behind him. The headmaster's expression darkened, his eyes showing suspicion and concern.

"Take a seat, Harry," Dumbledore said, motioning to a chair in front of his desk that was much less tattered and worn than those in Lupin's office. Harry sat down.

"I had a dream... a... a vision last night. About Voldemort," Harry told the man, who leaned forward, resting his forearms on the edge of his desk.

"Have you not been having them often?" said Dumbledore calmly. Harry shook his head.

"The last one I had was... I don't even remember when," he explained. Dumbledore nodded to him.

"Please continue." Harry took a breath and launched into the story of what he had seen. He remembered every detail, every name, every expression, and even the carvings in the study windows. It all came back to him, as when he had dreamt before, starting in his fourth year, he hadn't remembered everything, many names, dates, and statements slipping from his memory before he could explain it.

Dumbledore, presumably, hadn't seemed at all shocked that this had all happened in the Malfoy's home. He took it all in without interruption, his expression changing slightly from time to time. When he finished, Harry simply looked at the aged man, feeling a bit silly at thinking that Dumbledore always had all the answers. "What do you think he's going to do, Professor?"

The headmaster was silent for a moment before he answered Harry. "It's quite simple to me to deduce that Voldemort is going to pull Sirus and Holly into his mess to make his way to you. How? I do not know." Harry looked down at his knees, at the faded fabric from kneeling down and rubbing at his knees when he was unable to sit still.

"I wish that all the people that're close to me weren't in danger 'cause of me," Harry said quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, and Harry could feel Dumbledore's steady gaze on him.

"It has come to my belief that those who are close with you, Harry, realize, sooner or later, the danger they may be in for being your acquaintance. I think that they also know what danger you are in, and many of them, I'm sure, would stand by you in your moment of definite peril, even if it endangered them as well." Harry looked up at Dumbledore, trying to decipher this statement so it made a bit more sense. "You will be able to tell the true quality of a friend in that way, Harry," Dumbledore stated calmly, "Those closest to you most definitely know the susceptible threats on your life and their own, and yet they remain at your side."

Harry realized, now, that his dearest friends must know all about the dangers surrounding them for being publicly known as Harry Potter's close acquaintance, as he hadn't before. Hermione and Ron must have known since their very first year... when tracking down the individual (thought to be Snape but truly Quirrell/Voldemort) trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Holly must have realized it now, too. All of those who knew him had to know! They saw what Hermione and Ron had been dragged into with him through the years... they knew what had happened to Cedric for just being with Harry when not expected.

And through it all, none have deserted him. In the midst of impending dangers, love and friendship were evident. He could see this now.

"If you wish, you may go now, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry looked up at him and into those blue eyes. "Thank you for telling me of your vision." Harry nodded. He stood and turned, and as he reached the door, the headmaster spoke once more. "Oh, and one question for you..."

"Yes, Professor?" he said, turning around to face him once more. Dumbledore smiled kindly.

"How did you know my office password?" Harry smirked.

"Lucky guess."

*()%()*

Hermione walked into her dormitory after Arithmancy to find Holly digging through the trunk at the foot of her bed. "Looking for something?" she assumed.

"Actually," Holly replied, not turning around, "I'm playing house with all my school-related possessions. My Transfiguration book is the caring mom; The Monster Book of Monsters is the uber-paranoid dad, and my Defense Against the Dark Arts text is the super-hot but tragically rebellious teenage boy. They're the most fun to use. I'd go into full details of their much more extended family, like the pint-sized little sister contained in the pages of Advanced Astronomy, but there's no time for that." Hermione let out a tiny and proper laugh before moving to her bed to drop off her books before lunch. Holly still hadn't looked at her.

"What are you looking for?" Hermione pressed, pulling a folded piece of parchment out of her robe pocket with her name scribbled on it. Holly was bent into her trunk now - her head and upper torso completely out of view.

"My CDs," came her voice, slightly muffled, as though she hadn't just told Hermione a bizarre story of playing a children's game with her textbooks. "Maybe you call them compact discs here..."

"Why are you looking for them? Stereo systems would never work here, you should know that by now." Hermione set down her bag and unfolded the parchment in her hand, looking at the sloppy handwriting covering the page.

"I'm not that slow, el stupido!" Holly said. A quiet 'aha!' afterward followed with her straightening up, holding a shimmering blue and green bag-like case in her hand triumphantly.

"You know Spanish?" Hermione said incredulously. Holly stood up and slammed her trunk shut.

"Just Spanglish."

"Spanglish?"

"Oh yes. Don't-o el underestimate-o the el capability-o of my-o el knowledge-o!" Holly stooped and picked her wand up off the floor and stood in the center of the room. "Who-o is the el writer-o of that el note-o?" Hermione smiled.

"Ron," she answered, figuring it wouldn't hurt to tell her the truth about that - it was just a note! Ron had written those to her many times before.

"El Ron-o?" Hermione nodded. Holly raised her eyebrows and nodded once at her, before unzipping the fabric case and flipping through disc pages. She pulled a disc out and gazed at it for a moment, then looked at the wand in her hand.

"What're you going to do?" she asked, gazing intently at Holly, but the girl didn't reply. She tossed the disc up into the air, sending it spiraling horizontally upward, and held her wand directly under it.

It had reached the climax of its height-climb when she exclaimed, "Emodulo!" She let go of her wand, and green and blue beams of light shot out of it, and the disc began to spin, the light beams hitting it in different spots, moving from one side to the other. Her wand floated in midair. "Ooooo..." she said quietly before a rather loud guitar solo broke the sound barrier. Hermione and Holly both screamed in shock. After a split-second, Holly reached up and yanked the wand sideways, ably catching the disc as it fell down and the noise stopped.

"What was that?" asked Lavender, who had just opened the door with Parvati at her side.

"Music... I think," replied Hermione. Holly shot her an icy glare before turning back to Parvati and Lavender.

"A new spell that plays compact discs, my dear fragrant purple herb. It just got sorta loud... run along now to LUNCHEON!" Holly made a shooing motion with her hands and the other three girls simply gave her funny looks.

"Not eating today?" Parvati said, raising her eyebrows. Holly shook her head and made another shooing motion. "Well, it's our living space too... but Lavender and I don't intend on staying long, do we, Lav?"

"Certainly not," Lavender replied, setting her bag on her trunk. "But, before we leave, we must tell you about Professor Trelawney's prediction..."

"Oh yes!" chirped Parvati, "it was so..."

"Realistic!"

"Yes, it was about Harry, so you two better listen!" Holly and Hermione glanced at each other, and sighed.

"Alright," Holly said, "spill it, girls."

*()%()*

After Harry's trip to Dumbledore's office, he made his way back to the common room and into his dormitory. Dean, Neville, and Seamus were there, Ron nowhere to be found. Harry sort of figured Ron was going to be gone - probably off somewhere waiting for Hermione. In the back of his mind, Harry was a bit jealous of his friend. It wasn't exactly because he had been mildly infatuated with the girl weeks before, but more because once again Harry was Ron's second friend. Ron's time was spent on Harry when Hermione wasn't around.

Ron had been leaning towards this "action" before, but had always found time to hang around with him. First when he and Hermione had been close-to-together in years previous, then with Hermione again now. Not so much with Holly though. That was odd, to Harry, as his godsister seemed more of the type to want the attention than Hermione. Then, they had never made anything official.

Then again... if there was someone who could read Holly in the nearest universe, Harry would hire the individual for a share of his money in Gringotts. It would make life easier.

"Harry!" Dean exclaimed, "You know what we saw?" He motioned to Seamus and back to himself. "It's a little belated in telling you but..." He drifted off, looking excited.

"What?" Harry asked, tossing his bag onto his mattress.

"Ron and Hermione are together!" announced Seamus.

Harry shrugged. "I know."

"You do?" said Neville.

"Yeah. Were you two spying?" replied Harry, motioning to Seamus and Dean.

"Yup," they answered simultaneously. Harry nodded slowly.

"Yeah, me too," he replied. The other three boys grinned at him and Harry chuckled inwardly. "I think am going to make my way to the girls' dormitory for a quick visit now, see if Hermione's there... confirm our greatest... fears?" Seamus shook his head.

"Who knows? It's confirming where Ron went, anyway," Neville said, picking Trevor up and setting him on his bedside table delicately.

"Pretty much," agreed Dean. "We'll be going down to lunch, then. Later, Harry!" He nodded to them and they left. Harry's eyes traveled over to his trunk, and once again thought of the Marauder's Map. After thinking that he couldn't believe he considered such a thing, he grabbed his parchment on which he had written the bonus questions for his Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment and stuck it in his pocket. Someone had to know how to do them. He opened the door, and set off down the stairs.

*()%()*

After Lavender and Parvati's riveting story of all the trials Harry is about to have in his life and how he will meet his death at capture (in that war he's to be in, no doubt...), she pulled out the note from Ron again and began to read silently to herself. The girls had left, and Holly had her nose in a big maroon-colored book open on the foot of her four-poster.

Hermione -

I never believed that I could be bored during DADA. Not with Lupin anyway. Lockhart? Quirrell? Of course! Moody... frankly, he scared me. But Lupin has always been able to draw my attention. Just today my mind has been so focused on other things, and a lot of it on you. (Here there was a line effectively scribbled out, as though he were determined that she should not have had to read his mistake, whatever it might have been.) Instead of sleeping for only a few hours throughout the night (although I can never guarantee that I could sleep anyway, and not end up lying there staring at my curtains) has not been good to me. Our meeting place is good for privacy, but not exactly scenic or roomy. So, do you want to take a walk around the lake with me for lunch? I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall, so you have a choice of which set of doors to take. See you then. Enjoy Arithmancy!

Ron

The lack of the "Love" closing before his signature didn't distress her a bit, and so she snatched up her cloak, left Holly reading her book and bounced down the stairs, through the portrait hole, and to the Entrance Hall excitedly.

*()%()*

Harry knocked and poked his head into the sixth year girls' dormitory. Holly was the only one in there, lying on her stomach on her bed. She stared at him through her almond-shaped eyes, a curious expression on her face. "What're you doing?" he asked.

"Y'know," replied Holly, "a simple 'Hello, Holly' goes a long way."

"Hello, Holly." She smirked.

"Hey. Need somethin'?" she asked. Harry slipped into the dormitory and glanced around; confirming that she was the only one there other than himself.

"Where's Hermione?" he inquired, his eyes falling back on her. Holly's gaze had been turned back down to the book in front of her, and she didn't look back up at him when she replied.

"She's not in. Leave a message after the beep." Holly raised her eyes to his. "Beep." Harry gazed back at her for a moment, and she cocked an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a hang-up."

"Yes, do that..." he said slowly, giving her a funny look. "Where did she go? Do you know?" Holly nodded then shrugged as though not sure how to reply.

"Left just a second ago with a note from Ron in her hand. Can't give you any information other than that, 'cause I don't know any more." She paused here, flipping a page in her book with a resigned sigh. "Why?"

"Just wondering." Silence. "Do you suspect something?" he asked, noting her monotone dynamics.

"Do you know something?" Holly questioned, pushing herself up and bringing her legs in front of her, crossing them on the velvety, scarlet bedcovers. Suddenly she looked misplaced along with the red and gold: sort of like she was a student from a different house or perhaps a totally different school, wearing the robes with the Gryffindor patch and tie identifications, sitting in a tower dormitory that was not her own.

"No more than you do," he lied. Holly's eyes seemed to read that this was untrue, but she said not a word of it. She nodded in what could be classified as agreement and sat the book on her lap. Completely forgetting about the Defense Against the Dark Arts bonus questions on the parchment folded in his pocket, Harry asked, "What're you reading?" Holly propped up the text and Harry's eyes skimmed the title: Cretionis Lapillus: Fact & Legend. "'Fact and Legend', eh?" Holly nodded again. "What have you found out?"

"Not much..." she returned, "apparently the original creators of Cretionis Charms were all these goddesses and great sorceresses. They were to be passed down through the ages to the eldest daughter of each family, and aid certain heiresses to do the work that the original divinities or witches could. Apparently goddesses and deities don't have everlasting life, and simply fade into some scarcely existent nonbeing." Harry was striving to catch all of this. "More Charms have been created by 'lesser witches' in time, and those Charms, made by the goddesses and such, are few and far between. Magical museums seek them out, but in the rare case that they are found, the possessor certainly doesn't wish to give their precious pendant up..."

"Of course not... who would?" said Harry, catching on to her pause.

"Exactly!" Holly exclaimed, her eyebrows coming together in a look someone would get when astonished at something they found unbelievably stupid. "If I had one of those I wouldn't give it away! I mean, what are the chances? Besides, those Charms are supposed to be very powerful..."

"Uh-huh..." Holly shook her head slightly and shut her book, setting it down on her pillow. Harry could see there were several pieces of parchment in it, acting as bookmarks. Apparently she had been researching something about that Charm of hers that was important, and had marked pages that pertained to the specific subject. "Come down to lunch with me?" She shook her head.

"I'm not eating." Harry looked hard at her, blankly trying to see if this had a deeper explanation than the statement itself, but couldn't see past her features. Round amber eyes stood out against her mostly colorless face, along with her lips, a shimmering bronze hue - due to the application of cosmetic charms or the simple Muggle makeup she owned.

"I'm not striving to be anorexic. Don't look at me like that..." said Holly, her voice uncolored. Harry blinked.

"Bulimic? You're going to bolt a ton of food on Friday after excessive dieting, is that it?" Holly rolled her eyes and growled.

"Not hungry?" she replied suggestively. Harry smiled.

"Fine," he said, "I'll see you in Astronomy, then." She nodded.

"Yup." He turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

*()%()*

Hermione, upon coming into the Entrance Hall, saw Ron standing in between the doors leading to the Great Hall and the doors that opened to the grounds. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, and was rocking forward and backward slightly, blowing air through his lips as though whistling, looking around. Ron had an innocent look about him, she noticed. Despite him being so tall, he only looked dangerous when he was angry. All he was, to her, was a somewhat gangly boy that had only just broadened out, with Christmas-ribbon red hair, cerulean blue eyes, and freckles.

"I hope that you aren't tired of being outside today," Ron said as she approached, in a wishful voice. Hermione smiled up at him cheerfully. The simple thought of his self flashing through her mind made her grin, and him actually being there and talking to her made her insanely happy. These were quite the same symptoms she had around Viktor in fourth year.

"Certainly not," she replied. He handed her a buttered roll that he had grabbed from inside the Hall and they made their way outside.

It was an overcast day, gray clouds blocking out the silvery azure of the (clear) winter sky. Hermione and Ron walked through the fresh snow, making a new path. The other trails that had been packed down were leading to the greenhouses, Hagrid's hut, and the snowed-over path of Hermione, Ron, and Harry going into the Forbidden Forest.

"Er... how was Arithmancy?" questioned Ron, turning his head to look down at Hermione. The rolls were sending off a bit of steam, due to the chilly weather. Hermione shrugged the cloak snugger around her and pulled her heavy-knit mittens tighter on her hands. The rouge hand warmers were, in a sense, fashionable; in a sweet, innocent, childish way. Hermione, evidently, was into that.

"Oh it was wonderful as it ever was," responded Hermione. "Professor Vector was showing us how to do arithmetic with this new set of Egyptian symbols that we started studying last week..."

She continued to explain this for a while, and when she finished Ron put in a "Oh. Well - - that sounds great!" She nodded. "I s'pose you've already heard the story about Divination from Parvati and Lavender..."

"So I have. In full detail, actually. Does Harry have a say on all of this?" Hermione answered. Ron shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not really. Then again, I haven't really talked to him since we got to the bottom of the North Tower... he never has much to say about the death omens that loom around him anymore, though." This was true, as impending doom didn't really phase Harry as much as it used to. Predictions of impending doom from Trelawney, anyway.

By now they were walking along the much-used path that circled the lake, re-packing the walkway. They trudged on for a while; the only sounds were that of their cloaks swishing and their feet crunching in the snow. After a bit, Ron broke the silence with a stuttered "So... um..." and Hermione took a moment before replying.

"I have a question for you," she stated, turning her head to look up at him. They stopped walking and Ron turned to face her. He didn't say anything, and she took this as her cue to continue. She knew quite well the answer to the question she was asking, but she wanted to hear what Ron had to say about it. "Why, exactly, does - - this - - all have to be a secret?"

He paused, looking down at her, inconvenience shadowing his features. "Why do you ask?" he said slowly.

"Because I want to know. I don't think you should keep secrets." Ron raised his eyebrows. "From me, at least," she added, seeing that she, too, was trying to keep the relationship a secret at his request. He nodded.

"I... er... I just wanted to - - to," Ron seemed to be having a lot of trouble with this. Hermione had been wishing that he could just come out and say what he meant. Otherwise, that he wouldn't struggle so badly between the truth and a decent cover-up. "-to see how this works out. If we have something really serious going for us, then would be the good time to let people know about it." A look of appetent discomfort crossed his face, as though he hoped this would be reason enough and not offend her in any way.

If Hermione had been any other girl, she would take this as Ron telling her that he wasn't at all sure if they'd last, so it may as well not be made official and stomped out the next day. But, Hermione wasn't like that. Although all the possibilities of this meaning flicked through her mind, she knew that Ron would never mean to hurt or desert her. But, she pressed on. "Did you tell Harry?"

"Uh..."

"Ron?"

"N-n-... alright! Yes!" Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, crossing her arms in front of her. "But, Harry's a special case! He would never tell anyone about this!" This was probably true.

"Can I pick someone to tell?" Ron's lips disappeared as he sucked them in between his teeth, and they were replaced with a thin line. After a moment he nodded.

"Who?"

Hermione touched her index finger to her chin as though thinking. "Parvati." Ron shook his head fervently. "Why not?" she asked coolly.

"Blethers all day long, and spreads things to Ravenclaw. Pick someone else." Hermione sighed.

"Lavender?"

"No, no, she's even worse than Parvati..."

"Ginny." Ron's eyes widened. "Just kidding..." He let out a quick sigh of relief, otherwise simply exhaled the breath he had been holding. "Holly?"

"No!" Hermione flinched, not expecting quite the exclamation in his reply. "I mean... no."

"Why?" Ron looked at her nervously, and Hermione sighed in despair.

"She's a gossiper too," he explained. Hermione couldn't read his expression; his eyes were bedimmed because of his bent head, the red hair nearly hanging in his eyes. How he needed it cut. That would definitely be one of the first things she would ask of him.

"Not really," Hermione defied, cocking her head to the side a little for good measure. "Ron, why don't you want her to know?" Ron's lips vanished again. That was what Ron did when he was thinking, nervous, angry but contained, or just when he wasn't doing anything else. It was one of the many trademarks of Ron. As she would bite her lip, Harry chewed his fingernails or rub the back of his hands over his eyes, Ginny played with her hair, or Holly sucked in and bit the inside of her cheeks.

"Because, I, I don't want to hurt her feelings," he stammered, knotting his hands together behind his back.

"Because she-" He cut her off by nodding. "Don't you think that her feelings may have already been hurt?" Ron shook his head, still not speaking. "Didn't you fight when you told her about...?" Hermione couldn't quite finish the phrase, as she was both not positive how to end it, and not sure whether she wanted to know. Ron sighed, and was silent, as he looked away over the frozen lake.

*()%()*

QUOTE: Song - Horace

A/N: A bit of a pointless chapter if there ever was one, and it was meant to be centered around Harry's visiting of Dumbledore's office, and Hermione and Ron, but it ended up...bleah. We'll be lying low for a while before another chunk of plot comes into play. Yes'm.

Harry: He sees Dumbledore's point, and it makes him feel a bit better. But, it's not as though it will stay that way... Harry has a way of blaming himself for everything. I have a great Smallville-version Lex Luthor quote directed to Smallville-version Clark Kent (woo!) but perfect to fit Harry that I'll throw in here somewhere....

Holly: Did you think the girl would not suspect something (Hermione/Ron)? Her explanation of what she was reading (directed to Harry) wasn't, obviously, what she had been reading up on at the time (previously discovered info). She probably (ha, as though I wouldn't know...) suspects that if she told Harry she was reading up on the Dedication process and how to get to the Elves in the forest... he'd flip.

Ron: Secretive? You bet. He can't be telling Hermione the whole truth, can he? Yes, they'll be having problems. Do you want to place money on whether they'll get "serious", how long they'll last, and if they don't - what breaks them up? Only I know the answers to all of these questions. I'll auction off a plot-hint-card for 45,000! Going once! ...

Hermione: It starts with the hair, and then what? If I observe the canon Hermione with my own evil eye, I'd say she'd be bound to be a bit controlling, wouldn't you? She'll start catching on to more and more with Ron and his little mysteries, and try to solve them. As if she could! Wha-ha-haaa!

I put up a poll on SHIPS, if you would please reply to that.... Along with another poll in this review thread on just Hermione/Ron.

Next Chapter: Harry installs himself into the position of third wheel/Holly starts catching on, but waits for confirmation/Ron looks back on the day he told Holly that Hermione was his "focus"/Hermione writes to Viktor/Rumor spreads/Emodulo is further figured/Astronomy with Cho for Harry/Holly and Ron are alone together in the common room one night/Filch has a new tool that will further help him catch rule-breakers/A week gone buy in a few sentences

Read it? REVIEW IT!