When Hermione Granger receives an owl from Ginny Weasley, detailing how distressed Harry Potter has become after a trip to see Ginny's father Arthur Weasley at St. Mungo's, she changes her holiday plans. The last person she expected to find at Number 12 Grimmauld Place was Matt Santini. Considered by others to be the Gryffindor "Bad Boy", Hermione's crush on the American who hasn't always seen eye to eye with Harry and Ron bubbles up, just in time for the holidays.
Lights flashed by the windows in the Knight Bus as it whipped through the streets. Hermione Granger would have been dizzied with sickness had she not been lost in thought. Ginny's message had been fast to arrive. She had to give youngest Weasley some due credit, sending Pigwidgeon through the Floo Network straight to Hogwarts was a very clever idea.
Harry had been distressed ever since they had arrived back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place from St. Mungo's. Arthur Weasley had been recovering but Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Harry had used Extendable Ears to eavesdrop on a conversation that Molly Weasley, Arthur, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody were having about the attack on Arthur. Ever since, Harry had been distant and refused to join them for dinner or anything. He either hid in his room or up with Buckbeak. The boy had even been refusing food.
What was the matter with him? Why was he not talking to anyone, especially, if, as Ginny suggested, he thinks he is being possessed. Hermione sighed to herself. The morning had been hectic enough as it was. She had overheard a commotion from the boys' dorms during the night. And when she had gotten up Harry and Ron were missing. Dumbledore had been good enough to explain that Harry had had a severe nightmare and that Ron's dad had been attacked.
She had been shocked to see Umbridge livid at breakfast, since Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny had all left the school without her approval and technically before the end of term. There was someone else whom she had noticed was mysteriously vanished, but he would have to wait for other ruminations.
The Knight Bus screeched to a halt outside Grimmauld Place and Hermione quickly stepped off, dragging her trunk behind her. She was sure she could set Harry right with Ginny's help. She dragged her trunk up the steps and rang the doorbell. Hermione was sure no one would be expecting her at least, only Ginny. As she stepped inside there was a lot of noise coming from down the hall. Raised voices were shouting at one another and there was a familiar barking laughter emanating from the kitchen as well. Suddenly the door burst open.
"…AND DUMBLEDORE WILL BE HEARING ABOUT THIS! FROM ME!" The voice roared and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. Matt Santini charged out of the kitchen, breathing hard and slammed the door so hard it bounced back into the kitchen and stuck. He had clearly worked up a full head of steam over what happened. Mrs. Black's portrait began to scream, and Matt launched a 'Silencio' Charm at it so hard, the curtains flew back on their own.
"M-Matt? I-I-I d-didn't expect to s-see you h-here." Hermione stuttered, very much unlike herself.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" the American asked, his breathing slowing.
"I, um, I came to see Harry. Ginny she- "
"Yes, sent you a letter, I know. I told her to." Matt said as he started to calm down.
"What on earth was that all about?" Hermione asked.
"That, I think, they call the Santini Special." Tonks said coming up behind Matt and putting her arm around his shoulders.
"Well…I didn't think it had a name…" Matt said turning red.
"Yeah, well, your grandfather was apparently known for it too." Tonks grinned. "Anyway, Matt here decided to crash our meeting tonight. Gave us all the riot act about operational security and that we should have known better about having impromptu meetings at St. Mungo's. He's right though, really. Should of known better." Tonks looked a bit bemused.
"Yeah well, now you know…" Matt replied and took a heavy breath.
"Yeah yeah, don't know how many times I've heard you say that this summer…"
"Isn't it finished with 'And knowing is half the battle!'?" Hermione asked. She had heard Matt say it a lot as well.
"Hey, it is!" he grinned at her. He seemed to loom less largely in the hallway now that he calmed down. Hermione's heart always fluttered when he was near for some reason, her stomach full of butterflies.
"Hermione?" Matt began. "I'm glad you're here. I had to beg Dumbledore to let me come early but I didn't feel right just sitting there, knowing Harry was in trouble, and that Ron's whole family was in distress. It was too much."
"So that's why you were gone before breakfast." Hermione observed. Matt nodded. "I don't understand though…you've never been close with us before, not like this. What's changed?"
"Well, having been sent here over the summer by my mom and having shared dorms, classes, and meals with all of you the last five years, I guess you've all grown on me." Matt reached out to take Hermione's hand for a moment. She blushed deep red.
"But you and Harry have never agreed completely. You sided with Draco Malfoy over Buckbeak!"
"I did, and I was wrong. I admit that." Matt said and released Hermione's hand and held up his own to show submissiveness. Hermione found she missed the warmth of his skin on hers.
"And you were on Ron's side last year for the Triwizard Tournament too!" Hermione pressed.
"Yes! I was. Because it did look like Harry was fame seeking. But again, I was wrong. And I apologized to Harry for not believing him." Matt replied. "And if you remember, I was on your side at the Yule Ball."
Hermione blushed. She could not forget that nearly a year ago to the minute she had a knock-down, drag-out fight with Ron in the Common Room over who she had gone to Yule Ball with. It was not until Ron had stormed off to his dorm and Matt had come into the Common Room that Hermione broke down. And he held her in a hug and kissed her tears away. Looking back at that moment, she might have given anything for him to have been the one to save her from the lake, rather than Krum.
"Y-yes that's true…" Hermione conceded.
"And I have always believed that Harry was telling the truth about You-Know-Who coming back. I just know it, like Harry didn't lie about anything else, why would he lie about that all of a sudden? I can't even read the Prophet anymore. It turns my stomach." He said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- "
"Hermione, it's fine." Matt said gently. "We've never been that good of friends. But I want that to change. And I want Harry to know I'm here for him. And I'm here for you too." Matt held Hermione's gaze for longer than she should have. "And Ron of course." He said, looking at Ginny.
Ginny smiled back at Matt.
"I'm going to talk to Harry now. Ginny, if you and Ron could meet in your room?" Hermione asked and Ginny nodded, going off to find her brother. As Hermione began to ascend the stairs to find Harry, Matt's hand clasped over hers on the railing.
"Um, when you're done talking with Harry, could you meet me in yours and Ginny's room? I want to talk to you in private?" Matt asked.
"Sure, Matt." Hermion agreed and turned quickly to hide her blush. A moment later Ron and Ginny were behind her on the steps.
Matt watched as Hermione went to tend to Harry.
"Well, well, looks like someone's making his move." Tonks grinned.
"What do you mean?" Matt looked taken aback.
"Meeting a girl alone in her room? You're up to something." Tonks replied.
"N-no!" Matt stammered.
"I've heard things!" Tonks said. "How a certain someone tripped Malfoy in the courtyard and made him bloody his nose after a certain other someone got her teeth spelled. Or how someone here was holding someone who's upstairs and made her feel special at a certain dance last year." Matt's face was redder than any color Tonks had changed her hair to, ever.
"S-so? That could have been anyone!"
"True, I suppose so. But there's only one person who would have sweet-talked Dumbledore into letting him out early just to see his friends were ok. And to impress a girl." Tonks looked like she could not smile any wider.
"Yeah, ok, what's your point?" Matt asked.
"If she's that important, you've got to go for it. Just don't do anything too crazy, or Molly'll have a fit." Tonks said with a wink as she moved down the hall. Matt nodded and ascended the stairs to the girl's room.
He sat on the bed he assumed belonged to Hermione, as the other side of the room had Quidditch posters of the Holyhead Harpies, and he knew that was Ginny's favorite team. After what seemed to be only a few moments, Hermione came in and closed the door.
"How's Harry?" Matt asked.
"He'll be alright. Talking with Ginny helped. He's under the impression that he was being possessed, and Ginny actually was." Hermione said and sat down next to him.
"Oh, that's right! The Chamber of Secrets…" Matt remembered precisely one thing from that year, and he always tried to forget that it was Hermione being petrified.
"He's not being possessed. He's just got a connection with V-Voldemort through his scar." Hermione explained and Matt nodded.
"You know, when Rita Skeeter wrote that last article about him, the one where she interviewed a so-called "expert" from St. Mungo's and tried to claim he had brain damage, I knew that was a load of shit. And that Harry would not have wanted attention drawn to himself after that Divination Class."
"That's right! You stayed on with Divination, didn't you?" Hermione replied.
"Yeah, really wished I hadn't. Should've followed you down the trap door in third year." Matt admitted.
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"The truth is Hermione…" Matt looked at the floor and then back to her. "I've lost all my friends. Everyone from the other houses I've been paling around with the last five years have all turned their backs on me."
"What? Why?" Hermione looked aghast.
"Because I don't believe in Umbridge, because I don't believe in the Daily Prophet and because I'm siding with you all on everything. I used to hang out with Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini from Slytherin, now neither of them will talk to me. Claim I'm a blood traitor like Ron. And I figured that if they want to think that, then fine! They can. I don't need 'friends' like that. I'll support Muggleborns and I'll be on Harry's side. On your side. If you'll have me."
"I'm impressed Matt, I truly am." Hermione said, and she turned to look at him. The Gryffindor Bad Boy, as he had been called by everyone in their year, was suddenly vulnerable.
"And there's something else, about you…" he continued.
"Me?" Hermione asked, her breath catching in her throat.
"I really, really like you. Like, I want to be your boyfriend, like you." Matt said and winced, ready for the rejection.
"You like me?" Hermione asked and turned as red as Tonks hair. He nodded his affirmation. "I don't know what to say."
"Say, you'll be my girlfriend?" Matt suggested.
"Alright, I can be your girlfriend then." Hermione replied. Matt leaned in close to her and suddenly their lips met. They both closed their eyes as they felt their way through the kiss. Hermione's hands slipped around Matt and the two of them toppled over onto her bed.
A while later, they were forced to disengage themselves as Ginny had come in to get them, saying dinner was ready. Matt and Hermione walked down to the kitchen, hand in hand, both looking a little disheveled.
"Brave thing you did earlier." Sirius said to Matt with a grin. "Standing up to all of us in the Order like that, all in defense of Harry. Your mom and grandfather must be proud. I know I would be. Hell, I am. Not a lot of people would do what either of you did today for my godson. I'm glad to know he's got friends like the both of you." He clapped Matt on the back and gave Hermione an approving smile.
Even Harry noticed the couple were now holding hands as they sat down beside each other. Matt grinned at Harry. And Harry gave a seemingly relieved smile back.
"Feeling alright Harry?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, fine, actually. Loads better. You?"
"Never better." Matt said and looked at Hermione with a smile.