(Y/N)'s POV

Late in the afternoon, a few days after New Year, Harry, Ron, and Ginny and I lined up beside the kitchen fire to return to Hogwarts. The Ministry had arranged this one-off connection to the Floo Network to return students quickly and safely to the school.

Only Mrs. Weasley was there to say good-bye, as Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, and Fleur were all at work and Winky had to return to Hogwarts that morning to prepare for the influx of students. Mrs. Weasley dissolved into tears at the moment of parting.

Admittedly, it took very little to set her off lately; she had been crying on and off ever since Percy had stormed from the house on Christmas Day with his glasses splattered with mashed parsnip.

"Don't cry, Mum," said Ginny, patting her on the back as Mrs. Weasley sobbed into her shoulder. "It's okay..." "Yeah, don't worry about us," said Ron, permitting his mother to plant a very wet kiss on his cheek, "or about Percy. He's such a prat, it's not really a loss, is it?"

Mrs. Weasley sobbed harder than ever as she enfolded Harry in her arms. "Promise me you'll look after yourself...Stay out of trouble..." "I always do, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "I like a quiet life, you know me." She gave a watery chuckle and stood back.

"Be good, then, all of you..." Harry stepped into the emerald fire and shouted "Hogwarts!" It was my turn next, Bones was lazily perched on my shoulder but was reluctant to leave, missing her favourite chew toys, the gnomes in the garden.

Before I left I pulled Mrs. Weasley into the deepest hug I could manage without spewing a few tears myself and gave her a kiss on the cheek, thanking her for having me. "Percy will come around, I'm sure of it" I reassured her. Tears welled up in her eyes but she fought them back.

She pat my cheek and said "Do try not to get into trouble dear" I nodded, turning to stand in the fireplace, ducking down to clear my head on the mantle. "For you Mrs. Weasley, I'll last the week" The last thing I saw was her smile as I dropped the powder and span into Hogwarts.

As soon as we arrived, Bones got a bit overexcited, she jumped off my shoulder and scattered ashes from the fireplace all over McGonagall's room, then, looking immensely proud of herself, she bounded up to a horrified McGonagall and demanded belly scratches from my head of house.

McGonagall was one of Bones' favourite people, so suddenly spinning into Hogwarts and seeing her must have set her off, she paraded herself all over McGonagalls desk, covering it in ash, and rolled over to expose her belly.

While McGonagall did oblige, rubbing the cat's belly it was likely to calm a quiet rage that was behind her eyes as she shooed us all out of the room rather hastily. I asked Filch if he had a good Christmas as he hobbled over with the secrecy sensor as soon as we left the door.

He ignored me, letting out a few mumbles and when he got to me her sneered with glee, seizing my forearm, "I've got you now! Smuggling in Dark Magic!" he declared, sure of his victory as my midsection set of the sensors.

"This time for sure, you and your little demon. I'll have you out for good." "One can dream Filch, but you cant kick me out, Mrs. Norris would miss me too much." I smirked as his cat rubbed her head against my ankles.

I freed myself from Filch's grip, I bent down to greet her. Taking the time to confund him. "Ok with that sorted, can I go now? You've tested me, pat me down and tried to strip search me and found nothing, surely you must be satisfied now" I said angrily.

He nodded, clearly having no recollection of all these things I made up on the spot, but agreeing that they were satisfactory tests of my innocence. He froze up and quickly dismissed me, swearing under his breath as I left to join the others. Chuckling to myself, "I can't believe that worked"

"Baubles," said Ron confidently, when we reached the Fat Lady, who was looking rather paler than usual and winced at his loud voice. "No," she said. "What d'you mean, 'no'? "There is a new password," she said. "And please don't shout." "But we've been away, how're we supposed to —?"

"(Y/N)! Harry! Ginny!" Hermione was hurrying toward them, very pink-faced and wearing a cloak, hat, and gloves. "I got back a couple of hours ago, I've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buck — I mean Witherwings," she said breathlessly.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" I nodded, "Yeah," said Ron at once, "pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim —" "I've got something for you, Harry," said Hermione, neither looking at Ron nor giving any sign that she had heard him.

"Oh, hang on — password. Abstinence." the Fat Lady said "Precisely," in a feeble voice, holding her head, and swung forward to reveal the portrait hole. "What's up with her?" asked Harry. "Overindulged over Christmas, apparently," said Hermione, rolling her eyes as she led the way into the packed common room.

"She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks down by the Charms corridor. Anyway..." "How can paintings get drunk?" I thought as she rummaged in her pocket for a moment, then pulled out a scroll of parchment.

"Great," said Harry, unrolling it at once to discover that his next lesson with Dumbledore was scheduled for the following night. "I've got loads to tell him — and you. Let's sit down —" But at that moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!"

I managed to get out "Oh for fu-" before I was almost pushed of my feet as Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere from behind me and flung herself into Ron's arms. Leaving Ron and Lavender locked in a kind of vertical wrestling match.

Harry led Hermione over to the spare table. "So how was your Christmas?" "Oh, fine," she shrugged. "Nothing special. How was it at Won-Won's?" Harry recounted all that he had overheard between Malfoy and Snape.

When he had finished, Hermione sat in thought for a moment and then said, "Don't you think —?" "— he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?" "Well, yes," said Hermione.

"Ron's dad and Lupin think so," Harry said grudgingly. "But this definitely proves Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that." "No, I can't," she answered slowly. "And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!"

"Hmm...did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?" Harry frowned, trying to remember. "I'm not sure...Snape definitely said 'your master,' and who else would that be?" "I don't know," said Hermione, biting her lip.

"Maybe his father?" "Lucius does look like the type" I muttered, "Not that I can judge" "How's Lupin?" "Not great," said Harry, and he told her all about Lupin's mission among the werewolves and the difficulties he was facing.

Have you heard of this Fenrir Greyback?" "Yes, I have!" said Hermione, sounding startled. "And so have you, Harry!" "When, History of Magic? You know full well I never listened..." "No, no, not History of Magic — Malfoy threatened Borgin with him!" said Hermione.

"Back in Knockturn Alley, don't you remember? He told Borgin that Greyback was an old family friend and that he'd be checking up on Borgin's progress!" Harry gaped at her. I nodded, "If Malfoy's got Greyback on his payroll, he must be doing something big, I don't imagine he comes cheap"

"I forgot! But this proves Malfoys a Death Eater, how else could he be in contact with Greyback and telling him what to do?" "It is pretty suspicious," breathed Hermione. "Unless..." "Oh, come on," said Harry in exasperation, "you can't get round this one!"

"Well...there is the possibility it was an empty threat." "You're unbelievable, you are," said Harry, shaking his head. "We'll see who's right...You'll be eating your words, Hermione, just like the Ministry. Oh yeah, I had a row with Rufus Scrimgeour as well..."

And the rest of the evening passed amicably with both of them abusing the Minister of Magic, for Hermione, like Ron, thought that after all the Ministry had put Harry through the previous year, they had a great deal of nerve asking him for help now.

After my new set of Advanced Charms lessons and learning an advanced 'auguamenti' spell with Flitwick, Harry was off to another important meeting with Dumbledore. Deciding it was getting late, I went off to bed. Ron and Neville deciding to follow.

"(Y/N), can I talk to you quickly?" Hermione called up the stairs as the three of us were about to head off to bed, "Sure..." I stuttered out as I basically bolted down the stairs eagerly, my heart pounding anxiously in my chest.

"Not here," she grabbed my arm and led me away "There isn't any privacy!" she said as I heard a set of giggles from the top of  the stairs to the girls dorm. A set of giggles I now associated with both pure terror and Ron's girlfriend. "I swear, it's like they can just sense gossip" I muttered as we left.

When I realised where she led me, I was a little confused, "Myrtle's bathroom, yeah, real private Hermione, lucky there are no perverts who can phase through walls in here." she pouted "That's not why we're here!"

She dragged me into one of the stalls by the wrist. It was the stall she hid in during second year. "Funny, I remember it being less cramped in here, but the old place hasn't changed much" I commented.

"Oh shut up" she said, I silenced myself immediately, gulping nervously. She just stared at me for a few seconds, making me very self conscious. "So. Staring contest?" I muttered, she ignored me and pulled me into a hug.

I was bamboozled, regardless I returned at, this time knowing for a fact that if I reached for her 'tail' I would most likely be spending eternity with Moaning Myrtle. We hugged for about twenty seconds.

"So uhh..." I began as she pulled away, silenced as she smiled widely, her eyes welling up with tears. "It's still the same" she said cryptically, I was unable to determine if this was a good thing or not and start to panic she grabbed my collar, pulling me down to her level.

We shared a kiss, a kiss I had dreamt of for weeks, it was agonisingly fast, I wanted it to last forever, it was almost painful, it was a reminder that I hadn't been able to experience it for so long.

As we pulled apart, I thought that would be it, but Hermione seemed unsatisfied, she pulled me in, again and again. "I've missed that" she murmured as we finally separated. "Me too..." I said, slightly out of breath. I get what Ron was saying about chapped lips now.

"Snogging in the toilets, and with that, my full Hogwarts experience is complete" I smiled, she sighed as we shuffled out the stall. "So, does this mean..." I started to ask nervously. She pursed her lips for half a second.

I was dreading a no, I mean, the snogging was nice, but didn't really tell me much. I almost jumped for joy when she nodded at me, beaming, "If you want to." she said quickly, "This should be a unanimous- I don't think I had ever nodded so fast in my life.

Her smile widened, then faltered a little. "But I need you to know as I said before, Ron is one of my best friends, of course he's always going to be part of my life. So I don't want you beating him up or anything. But I promise you. There was nothing ever like...that. Between us."

Then she panicked and flung the arms out in front of her getting flustered, "Even when I thought back on it in fourth year, It was never love, I was just lonely. It was never the same as this. Of how I love you" she reassured me. I smiled at the last three words.

I nodded again, respecting her feelings and that she trusted me enough to tell me and not try to ignore the elephant in the room. As well as respecting that it was in the past. "And a part of me will always love Bones-" I managed to get out before she shoved me.

"So why did we have to do that in a toilet?" I wondered as we walked back to the common room hand in hand. She blushed, "I had to check to see if I still got the same feeling" I was very confused, she elaborated.

"I wanted to kiss you back then, in second year, but I was too shy to do it, I was probably too young to understand why I felt the way I did. So I wanted to come back and see if thinking about it made me feel the same."

"I'm kind of glad I didn't, It gave me time to appreciate how much I fell for you when it finally happened" she said, leaning her head on me. "Plus you were a cat." I added, she frowned at me, I shrugged, "I'm just saying, the fur or a stray hairball may have ruined the moment."

It was a very Hermione way of thinking "Trust you, determining the love of your life with a scientific test to see if you produce the same results as the past" I nudged her, she laughed and nodded, "I suppose you could see it that way yes."

"So, you won't be trading me in for Cormac McLaggen anytime soon then?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, he is very handsome, I just might" she giggled, I was in disbelief, unable to form words, not expecting that answer in a million years. I knew she was joking, but still.

Before I could react she pulled me closer and put her mouth to my ear, "Just kidding" she whispered, sending chills down my spine, then she kissed me on the cheek, released my hand and ran off down the hall, giggling and laughing.

It took me a moment to realise why it was so familiar. I was frozen on the spot. It took me a second to place the significance. "Did you just-" I couldn't even finish my thought, instead, I sprinted off after her, chuckling as I went.

I finally caught her in the Gryffindor common room pulling her into a hug. "Did you just hold a grudge since our first year?!" "Maybe..." she said cheekily, grinning at me and laughing as she did. I kissed her passionately, "God you're amazing."

"Just another reason I love you" I smiled, kissing her again and collapsing onto the sofa near the fireplace. We spent most of the night curled up next to the fireplace together, only heading off to bed in the early hours of the morning, sharing a kiss before we went up.

The new term started next morning with a pleasant surprise for the sixth years: a large sign had been pinned to the common room notice boards overnight. Which was a little odd as Hermione and I had been in the room almost the whole night.

"APPARITION LESSONS If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31st August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons."

"12 Galleons! That's a lot...I think" I said, shocked that they'd even make us pay for an every-day skill, but I suppose they have to make money somehow. That was when I noticed the crowd that had started to form around the sign.

Ron was just taking out his quill to sign after Hermione when Lavender crept up behind him, slipped her hands over his eyes, and trilled, "Guess who, WonWon?" "It's Mundungus" I whispered to him, he blindly swatted at my general direction.

After scrawling my name down on the list I followed after Hermione who had begun stalking off, Harry following us afterwards, clearly having no wish to stay behind with Ron and Lavender, Ron caught up with us a short while later, his hair a mess and his face a deep crimson.

Without a word, Hermione sped up to walk with Neville, "I swear, she's too stubborn for her own good" I muttered, sighing at the others, I sped up to follow. "This fight you have with Ron. It needs to stop, its driving me mental" she scoffed and put on a very sour face.

"It's him that needs to apologise! I haven't done anything" "Exactly and neither has he, so I have no idea why you're making something out of nothing" "It's not nothing!" She defended, "He's been nothing but rude to me since I invited him to Slughorn's party. He should apologise to me!"

"Yeah, I guess" I said, not wanting to cause another argument. As we walked I started resting my chin on Hermione's head and snaking my hands into hers. Remembering I was allowed to do stuff like this again.

"Excited for Apparition Neville?" I asked, he nodded and muttered "Yes, should be good, are you?" He seemed to feel a bit out of place, like a third wheel I suppose, his eyes were darting around the hallway, never making contact with us.

"Yeah, been practising for ages," I gestured to my hand and he countered, "You took me with you in the Department of Mysteries, so you must be good at it." Examining my arm out of the corner of my eye, I chuckled "Hopefully, you know what they say, whatever doesn't kill you makes you a badass."

He laughed and I nodded, kind of, mostly just burying my face in Hermione's hair. "Could use the practice though, I still don't get the theory behind it. Do you know 'Mione?" I asked, she sighed.

"I know what you're doing, it won't work" she said crossly as Neville just shuffled along awkwardly, "I'm trying not to cut any of my limbs this time. Or worse, something more important. Thought knowing the theory might help."

She pouted a little but did go into a five-minute crash course on the essence of apparition that I barely listened to. She was right I was trying to distract her from being mad at Ron. I imagine I should have probably been mad too, especially considering all the friction he had caused between me and Hermione, but mostly I just wanted everything back to normal.

The next day Harry confided in Ron, Hermione and I about the task that Dumbledore had set him, though separately for me and Hermione, she still refused to remain in Ron's presence longer than it took to give him a contemptuous look.

I knew Ron thought that Harry was unlikely to have any trouble with Slughorn at all, he said as much over breakfast, waving an airy forkful of fried egg. "He loves you," "Won't refuse you anything, will he? Not his little Potions Prince, just hang back after class this afternoon and ask him."

Hermione, however, took a gloomier view, we met outside the castle, in the courtyard in the freezing snow, of course, I had to go with her. "He must be determined to hide what really happened if Dumbledore couldn't get it out of him," she said in a low voice, as we stood in the deserted, snowy courtyard at break.

"Horcruxes...Horcruxes...I've never even heard of them..." "You haven't?" Harry said, clearly saddened by the news, "Sounds like an animal to me, maybe its some type of creature with a power he wanted?" Harry shook his head and said Dumbledore explained it was a form of dark magic.

"They must be really advanced Dark magic, or why would Voldemort have wanted to know about them? I think it's going to be difficult to get the information, Harry, you'll have to be very careful about how you approach Slughorn, think out a strategy..."

Wanting to help, I offered my services. "Do you even have to ask him?" I asked, Harry looked confused, "I mean, there are other options, I could just, make him, next lesson I could just force the memory out, or at least try to" I suggested.

"You can't, he knows you're a Legilimens, he probably expects it, if we try to force it out of him, he'd probably put up more defences, or destroy it" "Nothing's ever simple" I grumbled, a thought that was basically my mantra at this point.

But that was then Slughorns behaviour towards me clicked. Now I understood why he barely looked me in the eyes and why he even wanted me in the Slug Club to begin with. He was keeping an eye on me. Figuratively.

I sighed so deeply it turned into more of a groan, I was so sick of being treated like a weapon for Dumbledore. But I still wanted to help. "That's assuming he knows in the first place, get me in a room with him and I can take the memory without him knowing, assuming I know what to look for."

Harry shook his head and explained he didn't want to risk it as we might only get one shot. But part of me knew he just wanted to impress Dumbledore. So he explained his plan a bit more, if you would even call it a plan.

"Ron reckons I should just hang back after Potions this afternoon..." "Oh, well, if Won-Won thinks that, you'd better do it," she said, flaring up at once. "After all, when has Won-Won's judgement ever been faulty?" "Hermione, can't you —"

"No!" she said angrily, and stormed away, dragging me with her by the wrist, leaving Harry alone and ankle-deep in snow. Potions lessons were uncomfortable enough these days, seeing as Harry, Ron, Hermione and I had to share a desk, and poor Ernie was stuck in the middle of it.

It wasn't as awkward for me as before due to the fact I could speak to Hermione now, but there was still awkwardness in the air whenever Hermione and Ron were in the same room.

Today, Hermione moved her cauldron around the table so that she was close to Ernie, and ignored both Harry and Ron. "What've we done?" Ron muttered to me, looking confused. But before I could answer, Slughorn was calling for silence from the front of the room.

"Settle down, settle down, please! Quickly, now, lots of work to get through this afternoon! Golpalott's Third Law...who can tell me —? But Miss Granger can, of course!" Hermione recited it at top speed.

"Golpalott's-Third-Law- states-that-the-antidote-for-a-blendedpoison-will-be-equal-to-more-than-the-sum-of-the-antidotes-for-each-of-the-separate- components." "Precisely!" beamed Slughorn. "Ten points for Gryffindor! Now, if we accept Golpalott's Third Law as true..."

"I want each of you to come and take one of these phials from my desk. You are to create an antidote for the poison within it before the end of the lesson. Good luck, and don't forget your protective gloves!"

Hermione had left her stool and was halfway towards Slughorn's desk before the rest of the class had realised it was time to move. By the time Harry, Ron and Ernie returned to the table, she had already tipped the contents of her phial into her cauldron and was kindling a fire underneath it.

"I don't know if I should be proud, or scared" I noted to the others as I literally picked my poison. Cracking my knuckles and picking my ingredients I got to work too, ignoring the others as I read through the book for the basics.

"It's a shame that the Prince won't be able to help you much with this, Harry," she said brightly as she straightened up. "You have to understand the principles involved this time. No short cuts or cheats!"

Annoyed, Harry uncorked the poison he had taken from Slughorn's desk, which was a garish shade of pink, tipped it into his cauldron and lit a fire underneath it. I will admit, it was quite satisfying watching him struggle after coasting through potions all year by relying on the Prince.

"After all that time with your precious book, I'm surprised you haven't at least read what was meant to be in it" I goaded him, he just sighed and began adding ingredients fiercely. It was clear he did not have the faintest idea what he was supposed to do next.

The best part of the whole lesson was when Slughorn had peered hopefully into Harry's cauldron on his first circuit of the dungeon, preparing to exclaim in delight as he usually did, and instead had withdrawn his head hastily, coughing.

Hermione's expression could not have been any smugger; she had loathed being out-performed in every Potions class. I had been waiting for this all year, watching it finally unravel around Harry gave me a sense of glee that I could barely contain.

Harry's POV

Panicking because of the dwindling time limit, I hastened towards the store cupboard and rummaged within it, pushing aside unicorn horns and tangles of dried herbs until I found, at the very back, a small card box on which had been scribbled the word Bezoars.

I opened the box just as Slughorn called, "Two minutes left, everyone!" Inside were half a dozen shrivelled brown objects, looking more like dried-up kidneys than real stones.

Seizing one, I put the box back in the cupboard and hurried back to my cauldron, hoping this would work and not backfire horribly. "Time's...UP!" called Slughorn genially. "Well, let's see how you've done! Blaise...what have you got for me?"

Slowly, Slughorn moved around the room, examining the various antidotes. Nobody had finished the task, although Hermione was trying to cram a few more ingredients into her bottle before Slughorn reached her.

(Y/N) was tutting at several half-filled vials on his workspace and Ron had given up completely, and was merely trying to avoid breathing in the putrid fumes issuing from his cauldron. I stood there waiting, the bezoar clutched in a slightly sweaty hand.

Slughorn reached our table last. He sniffed Ernie's potion and passed on to Ron's with a grimace. He did not linger over Ron's cauldron, but backed away swiftly, retching slightly. "And you, Harry," he said. "What have you got to show me?"

I opened my hand, the bezoar sitting on my palm. Slughorn looked down at it for a full ten seconds. I wondered, for a moment, whether he was going to shout at me. Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"You've got a nerve, boy!" he boomed, taking the bezoar and holding it up so that the class could see it. "Oh, you're like your mother...well, I can't fault you...a bezoar would certainly act as an antidote to all these potions!"

Hermione, who was sweaty-faced and had soot on her nose, looked livid. Her half-finished antidote, comprising fifty-two ingredients including a chunk of her own hair, bubbled sluggishly behind Slughorn, who had eyes for nobody but me.

"And you thought of a bezoar all by yourself, did you, Harry?" she asked through gritted teeth. "That's the individual spirit a real potion-maker needs!" said Slughorn happily, before I could reply.

"Just like his mother, she had the same intuitive grasp of potion-making, it's undoubtedly from Lily he gets it...yes, Harry, yes, if you've got a bezoar to hand, of course that would do the trick...although as they don't work on everything, and are pretty rare, it's still worth knowing how to mix antidotes..."

The whole room glared at me, Hermione most of all, but she was not the problem. (Y/N) was just as livid as she was, and he showed it, basically throwing his cauldron to the floor. Causing the whole classes attention to be glued to us.

"THAT'S BULLSH-" The rest of his outburst was cut off by his cauldron clattering to the ground and his scales hitting the floor with a loud "PANG!" (Y/N) looked just about as furious as I'd ever seen him, glaring into Slughorns eyes, bellowing "HE CHEATED!"

Slughorn looked utterly terrified and started backing away hastily, holding up his hands in a weak defence. "m...my boy, he simply found... an alternate-" he started. "He didn't even do what you asked and you're praising him for it? Some teacher you are!"

"Oh, I don't need an Ice potion, I can use the Flame-Freezing Charm, oh, I don't need a draught of living death, I'll just put them in a coma myself. I don't need to follow the rules. I'm the chosen one!" he finished, glaring at me with intensity.

"Well, that just shows this subject is pointless, we have the others to do it for us!" With a few more swears in my direction he collected his bag and stormed out of the Dungeon. Before anyone could protest him leaving or Hermione could express her fury that I had come top of the class by not doing any work, the bell rang.

"Time to pack up!" said Slughorn. "And an extra ten points to Gryffindor for sheer cheek!" Still chuckling, he waddled back to his desk at the front of the dungeon, shaking off some nerves and fear.

I dawdled behind, taking an inordinate amount of time to do up my bag. Neither Ron nor Hermione wished me luck as they left; both looked rather annoyed. At last me and Slughorn were the only two left in the room.

"Come on, now, Harry, you'll be late for your next lesson," said Slughorn affably, snapping the gold clasps shut on his dragonskin briefcase. "Sir," I said innocently, reminding myself irresistibly of Voldemort, "I wanted to ask you something." I posed the question, he beamed at me, clearly not expecting what was to come "Ask away, then, my dear boy, ask away..."