I have fallen in love.

Ginger, feisty, yet wonderful to cuddle, there to comfort me on those lonely nights where books couldn't quite fill a gap.

"You bought that monster?!" Ron spluttered as I held my new purchase in my arms.

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" I sighed, nuzzling my face into Crookshanks' soft silky fur.

However, Ron didn't think so, owing to the fact that he was convinced that Crookshanks was trying to kill his disgusting rat.

I mean, who owns rats these days? It wasn't even on the approved Hogwarts' pet list.

So, the summer was spent in Diagon Alley listening to Ron suddenly giving a shit about his rat as though trying to hammer down some sort of key plot point in our faces.

On the bright side, Harry turned up after accidentally blowing up his aunt.

*****

This was literally going to be the longest year of my life.

Thanks to a little help from a Time-Turner, I was able to take on all extra subjects available to third year students.

The only thing was, Professor McGonagall made me swear not to tell a soul which meant I had to spend the majority of the year lying to my best friends and making out they were the stupid ones when they questioned my sudden strange new found ability to be in two places at one time.

Muggle Studies was by far my favourite, with Professor Burbage being the kindest and warmest teacher of the school. She called me her star pupil and, unlike Snape, always let me answer wherever I put my hand up in class ("I'd better be careful, or Miss Granger will soon be putting me out of a job!").

It meant, however, that I was physically exhausted. It made me crabby, moody and just downright unbearable to be around.

And when people pissed me off, they pissed me off. Professor (if you can even call her that) Trelawney came into my firing line and I stuck my fingers up in her face and stormed out of her stupid classroom when she told me I had a hopelessly Mundane mind.

It was hardly a loss - I'd never known such garbage in all my life. Divination. What a load of unicorn puke.

Harry also spent third year in a mood. There was this dangerous maniac on the loose who was apparently intent on killing him. But that wasn't what was upsetting him - no. All he did all year was sulk that this meant he couldn't go and buy sweets in Hogsmeade.

I mean, really. That boy seriously needed to sort his priorities out.

Still, Ron and I agreed that we would stay on at Hogwarts over Christmas to keep him company. Well, really it was so that I could make sure he didn't do anything stupid and put Gryffindors chances of yet again winning the House cup at risk.

I'm sure my parents didn't mind not having their only daughter who they rarely (if ever) saw at home with them to spend the holidays. They'd probably forgotten I existed at this point in all honesty, anyway.

Then there was Ron who not only complained all year about my cat terrorising his rat, but he then stopped talking to me altogether simply because I helped get Harry's new broomstick confiscated and torn apart. IT WAS FOR HIS OWN SAFETY!

Did no one get that this 'generous' gift of a Firebolt from an anonymous donator looked mighty suspicious?! I swear I was the only one of us that had any ounce of common sense.

Harry stopped talking to me as well, and therefore weeks went by when I had no friends. Not that I cared, I was too busy with schoolwork and trying to help Hagrid out of a pickle.

A 'pickle' being the oncoming execution of his beloved pet, Buckbeak.

And it was all that Draco Malfoy's fault.

*****

Harry and Ron befriended me again after a close brush with death.

We were woken up in the middle of the night, and as soon as I stepped down into the common room, my vision was obscured as I was pulled into a fierce embrace.

"Oh, bloody hell, Hermione. Thank Merlin you're alright!"

"I'm fine, Ron," I said, my voice muffled against his Gryffindor pyjamas. I could hear his heart racing wildly beneath his chest and I found myself quite touched by his concern.

He pulled away, but kept his arm curled protectively around my shoulders as he explained that he saw Sirius Black come into his room and threaten him with a knife.

"What?!" I gasped as Harry, with hands on hips, tutted and rolled his eyes in the background.

"I scared him off, of course," Ron boasted, puffing out his chest. "One look at the murderous glint in my eye and he ran for the hills."

"Please!" Seamus Finnigan scoffed loudly. "You were crying for your mammy!"

Ron's eye twitched and he slowly turned to scowl at his treacherous dorm mate. "Yeah, well, I'll have you know that my mother can be bloody scary when she wants to be!"

"You're telling us, little brother." Fred said solemnly, landing a heavy hand down on Ron's shoulder. "Only last summer she made me and George finish a whole chocolate cake when she caught us trying to filch a slice in the middle of the night."

"Yeah," George muttered darkly, shaking his head. "Gave us the death glare the entire time, not blinking once as she made sure we ate every single crumb."

"So that's where my birthday cake went." Harry said sadly, catching a tear that had collected at the corner of his eye. "She told me the garden gnomes stole it and that she couldn't afford to make another."

I narrowed my eyes at the twins. I was still sore about them giving Harry a very dangerous map during a time when he should be keeping himself safe.

That evening, as we camped in the Great Hall, Ron made sure his sleeping bag was positioned right next to mine and he held my hand the entire night.

"Don't worry, 'mione," he whispered in my ear. "I'll look after you."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't scared, that I knew enough magic to blast the entire hall to smithereens.

So, I kept my mouth shut and let him be my hero.

Besides, I liked having my friend back.

*****

Sometimes, however, magic wasn't good enough.

"Come to see the show?"

A few choice words left my lips before I smashed my fist right in Draco Malfoy's smug face.

"That felt good." I said as Ron gave a low, impressed whistle.

Our eyes met and the sensation of butterflies took flight in my stomach.

"Uh- guys," Harry said, awkwardly scratching his head. "I don't mean to ruin the moment but Hagrid's bird is about to become tweety pie."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when the axe came down, causing a sickening thud to reverberate through the air.

Thank Merlin for time travel.

*****

So, it turned out that Sirius Black wasn't all bad.

However, Ron's rat was, and I had to put all my effort into not throwing Ron a smug look and do a 'I told you so' dance right in front of his gormless face.

Still, I'm sure I'll get plenty more opportunities.

*****

Another DADA teacher bit the dust, so to speak.

Well, what did Dumbledore expect hiring a werewolf to teach the children? What'll it be next year? A Death Eater?

*****