Sometimes It's Good to be Bad

Chapter 32 The Kiss of a Thousand Laughs

After the day's classes, Hermione and Harry were walking toward the Gryffindor common room when a sudden thought struck her. "Harry!" she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him close.

"What?" he asked slowly.

"You should accept Scrimgeour's offer."

"WHAT!" Now heads were turning to look in their direction. She gave him a pointed look and pulled him closer to her.

"I said--"

"I heard what you said. Why the hell would I want to do something like that?"

"Well, he expects you to stop by the Ministry every now and then, doesn't he? And on those occasions you would be able to wander around the place, wouldn't you?"

They were now in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady and Harry was looking at her as though he were in love. He quickly moved in to give her a quick kiss on the lips he was so ecstatic about this idea and the possibilities it opened up. It was at this moment that Ginny chose to finally leave the dorms.

When the portrait hole swung open, she was assaulted with the vision of the two kissing. It was at this moment that the fine line that held her sanity in tact finally snapped. Once again she started laughing hysterically, pulling Harry's attention away from Hermione and onto her. Everyone was staring at the laughing girl. "I'll go get Professor Davis," Hermione whispered to Harry and was gone in the blink of an eye.

When she reached his office, she barged in without knocking to find her Head of House at his desk preparing for the next day's classes. Not knowing what she would find in the room she had worked herself into a bit of a state. "Professor, it's Ginny. I think she's snapped!"

Davis looked up at the Head Girl, startled. He gave her a small smile, which she returned before the two ran back off to Gryffindor Tower. When they arrived, Ginny had drawn a crowd. Ron was next to his sister trying to calm her down, but it had yet to work. If anything, she was laughing even harder now.

The Professor picked the girl up, saying that he was taking her to the infirmary, and everyone was to go about their business. Ron, Harry, and Hermione followed. Madame Pomfrey was distraught to see the state of the girl and immediately fire called the Headmistress to come down. She then gave her a calming draught. When it had no effect whatsoever she then administered a potion to put her in a dreamless sleep.

By the time the Headmistress arrived at the infirmary, Ginny was asleep with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Madame Pomfrey and Professor Davis all either sitting or standing around her, worried looks plastered on their faces. "May I inquire as to what set off Miss Weasley?"

Harry and Hermione shared a look before they both looked at the floor, seemingly in embarassment. "Ummm, well, see, Hermione had this great idea, and I sort of kissed her and Ginny opened the portrait and saw and then she just started laughing and Hermione went to get Professor Davis and then he brought her here." He talked quickly, hoping that it would be better to get it done fast. And that people (Ron) would skip over the him kissing Hermione part.

"YOU KISSED HERMIONE!" Ron looked as though he wanted to kill his best friend at the moment. Harry had KNOWN he liked her. It wasn't bad enough that there were rumours going around that the two had had sex, but now, for Harry himself to admit that he was after Hermione... it was too much. When he spoke again, his voice was barely audible in a controlled fury. "This is all your fault." He turned his back on his former best friend and walked over to where his sister was sleeping.

"Harry, Hermione, I will meet you in Professor Davis' office in a short while, but first I must inform Mr. and Mrs. Weasley of this." The Headmistress left the office. Professor Davis gestured to the two, who were both still looking at the ground, tears in both of their eyes, to follow him to his office.

A half hour later, Headmistress McGonagall was in the office, looking at the two with very disappointed eyes. "Miss Granger, you swore to me that there was nothing going on between yourself and Mister Potter. Now this happens, and the mind of a fragile young girl has been damaged. It is not something I can overlook."

Before she was able to get another word in, Hermione interrupted her. "Headmistress. I was not lying to you before. There is nothing going on between Harry and myself. There never has been. It is unfortunate that Ginny opened the portrait when she did, but we did NOTHING WRONG. I hope with everything that she'll get better soon. She's my best girl friend, and she's already been through so much..." she trailed off, ending with a racking sob that led into a crying fit.

"Never the less, Miss Granger. Your actions have caused a heavy grievance. I have no choice but to take away your position as Head Girl." Hermione started to bawl even louder, but Harry spoke up instead.

"Headmistress. If you need me to swear under veritaserum that Hermione and I have never had any realtionship other than friendship, then I will. If anyone has to take the blame for what happened tonight, it should be me. I kissed Hermione, not the other way around. It's my fault. There is no reason for you to strip her of her position."

"Harry," Hermione hissed. "You can't take veritaserum! You know she'll ask about other things as well. And you know that you can't answer those questions."

He gave her an appraising look. "Okay. You're right. I take it back. I can't take veritaserum for you, but it doesn't make what I said any less true."

It was at this point that the Head of Gryffindor House spoke for the first time. "Headmistress, with all due respect, I believe these young adults are telling you the truth. It would be a rather harsh punishment to take away the position that Miss Granger has earned after working hard over the past six years for something as innocent as a kiss. Especially when you know as well as I that the majority of the older students are doing a lot more than kissing within this castle."

She sighed and after a few minutes responded. "I suppose you are right. Miss Granger, I'm sorry for overreacting, but at this moment I am extremely worried. Not just for Miss Weasley, but also for the fates of yourselves and Mister Weasley. We all know he is not the most rational of people and it looks as though he personally blames Mister Potter for the condition his sister is currently in."

"I can deal with Ron. It'll just take some time," said Harry.

"I must be getting back to the infirmary. Professor Davis, I assume you have this under control?"

"Yes, Headmistress." She then left the two tear-stained students with their Head of House. Professor Davis decided to walk each of them to their common rooms, telling all those in Gryffindor House to leave Harry alone on the matter and they would all be informed when he himself was sure of what was going on.

He then went to the Head common room with Hermione. Walking inside, they saw that Zabini was sitting on the couch making out with Pansy. They quickly jumped apart at the sight of the professor. "If the two of you don't mind, I need to speak to Miss Granger in private." A look was exchanged between the three before he added in, "feel free to go up to your room, Mister Zabini, Miss Parkinson." Having gotten permission from a teacher to be in the bedroom together, they flew up the stairs.

The remaining two sat in opposite chairs before he spoke again. "We must let the Dark Lord know of this development, but I cannot leave the school at the moment in case the Headmistress is in need of me again. I'll send Him a note telling the circumstances, and if He needs to, you must go as soon as he calls."

"No offence, Professor, but I already do that."

"Sorry. Of course you do. Now let me write that letter." He went over to her desk and wrote the letter. "Now to get to your bathroom. I don't suppose I can go through the Head Boy's room."

"You can't go up my stairs, sir. They're jinxed."

"Miss Granger, it is no problem. As a Head, I know the counter-jinx." Soon they were in the bathroom, where he said a spell at the letter, causing it to disappear in a burst of fire.

"Sir, that is an extraordinary spell. Would you mind teaching it to me sometime?"

"No, not at all. The key is that you can only do it in a place that can be apparated from, otherwise it would have been fine to do from your common room. But I must go now. Take care." He gave her a smile and was out the door.