Author's Note: Oh my god, I just realized how long it has been since I updated this story. Well over two years! My god, I'm so sorry. Well, I'm updating now so I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. Read and review, of course. PS: I'm no longer doing the quizzes; I see how pointless they are. But the answer to the other one WAS Midnight Frostz, even though we are no longer a couple and haven't been since 2005. Anyway, enjoy.

Luke's out of Luck

Three months had gone by since Luke had been warmly welcomed into our school. The cold, January winter had turned into gentle March breezes, and the snow melted away into the crisp green grass. The students of Hogwarts retreated from their dormitories and common rooms to study by the lake and on the grounds of the school. Hermione and I were, of course, still dating – and Luke still had his not-so-secret crush on the love of my life.

"PIG!" Ron's voice awoke me from my thoughts and caused me to turn around just in time to see Ron chasing after the tiny owl, his red hair flying with him. I laughed and stood up from the grass in order to grab pig for Ron. Reaching above my head, the tiny owl cupped perfectly between my hands.

"It's called locking the door at night, Ron," I said with a chuckle. Ron panted, trying to get his breath back, and retrieved the owl from my hands.

"Fuck you," he cursed with a laugh. I grinned and looked over Ron's shoulder to see Hermione walking down from the school with…

"Luke," I muttered, causing Ron to turn around while shoving the owl back into its cage. Sure enough, Luke was happily walking beside Hermione, dressed in a black turtleneck and the Hogwarts dress pants, holding his Potions books in his arms as if they were a baby. Hermione was laughing at something which was probably no where near as funny as Luke thought it was.

"Harry!" Hermione chirped, running over to me and giving me a kiss on the lips. I kissed her back, settling my mind from Luke's watching eyes for a moment to enjoy the feeling of Hermione's smooth lips.

"We were just talking about you," Luke said with his evil grin, crossing his arms across his chest. "Hermione was just telling me about your first year here when you had to get the Philosopher's Stone." Luke uncrossed his arms to run his fingers through his outgrown spikes. "You've been through a lot together."
"Of course we have!" Hermione hooked her arm through mine as I silently glared at Luke, who knew exactly what he was doing. "We've been through everything together from first year," she said, smiling up at me. I gave a faint smile back.

Ron glanced from Luke to me before clearing his throat and shoving Pig's cage under his arm. "Well then! How about some lunch?" he said loudly, smiling at the three of us. Luke and I remained to glare at one another for a second before turning our heads to Ron in unison.

"Fine," Luke said.

"Fine," I agreed. I held Hermione's hand tightly in mine and guided her up the hill, ignoring the worried frown on her face. I almost made it into the Great Hall before she finally asked me;

"What's wrong, Harry?"

I froze in front of the doors and turned to look at Hermione… beautiful Hermione, with her honey brown hair and dark caring eyes, those soft pink lips I had spent hours on end kissing. She was the bright to my sun, and the stars in my dark. I needed her more than I had ever needed a girl before. I couldn't let her go – not yet. Calmly, I smiled down at her and kissed the bridge of her nose.

"Nothing, Mione. Don't worry about it, okay?" I said. I would tell her about Luke, and how the stuck-up bastard was trying to steal her from me, but not yet. She was in such a good mood.

Hermione frowned once more before squeezing my hand and leading me through the Great Hall doors. As usual, all eyes were on us. Ever since the Cupid Dance, we had been considered the "most gorgeous couple in Hogwarts" on a poll of three couples. Fortunately, we were the only coupe of those three to stick – Pansy and Blaise had barely made it to one month, and Cho and Dean broke up a week later. Luck was on our side. Yet, ever since the dance we had felt those yearning and jealous eyes on us, in the classrooms and the corridors. Now, they were following us in the Great Hall.

"Hi, Harry. Hi, Hermione." I looked away from the eyes to see Ginny near the middle of the table, smiling up at us from her plate of food. I knew Ginny had had a crush on me ever since I knew Ron, but she had slowly grown out of that crush when she realized how happy I was with Hermione. Now, she was one of the greatest friends I could have.

"Hey, Ginny," I said cheerfully as Hermione and I took a seat across from her. Ginny smiled and returned to her food while Ron and Luke came into the Great Hall, bickering loudly.

"You're a stuck-up prick, is what you are, mate!" Ron snapped at Luke, shoving him away as he ran towards the table.

"Yeah, well so what if I happen to have a crush on her? You can't bloody well stop me!" Luke snapped back, diving for Ron's legs and just catching them between his hands. Ron collapsed on the floor, causing Pig's cage to skitter across the floor and stop at my feet. I picked up Pig and set him and the cage on the bench beside me, frowning at the two.

"I bloody well can! She's dating my best friend, and they're the happiest I've ever seen them!" Ron took a giant leap on Luke and sat on his head. "Don't move a muscle, or I'll let one out smellier than the tuna fish casserole for lunch." I tried desperately not to choke on my cauldron cake as Ron said this, so close from laughing out loud.

Luke squirmed underneath Ron and shoved him off. "So what? You don't know how she feels! Maybe she doesn't like him anymore," he growled, diving at Ron and grabbing his hair.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK! GET OFF ME, YOU SPIKY-HAIRED MIDGET!"

"Ron! Luke! Stop it!" Hermione yelled angrily as McGonagall arose from the table, glaring at the boys angrily. Ron and Luke immediately stopped, as if they had been stunned suddenly, and looked up at Hermione slowly, who glared back at them. "Why are you both acting like idiots?!"

Luke and Ron glanced at each other before entangling their limbs from one another. "Go on, tell her," Ron muttered, sliding into the seat beside his sister.

"Tell me what?" Hermione said, much more calmly then she was before. Luke took a deep breath and stepped forward, holding Hermione's hands in his. I clenched the side of the table between my white knuckles, grinding my teeth and watching him closely.

"Hermione, I've wanted to tell you this for months now, but I just couldn't. I… well… I love you, Hermione Granger," he spoke softly. The entire Great Hall gasped, and I turned my head to see girls staring at the two wide-eyed and open mouthed while guys were just speechless.

Hermione's eyes shot open as she stared at Luke, glancing from him to me. "I… I… you what?" she stuttered, searching Luke's eyes as if they had the answers.

Luke took another deep breath, stepped forward and dipped his head down to press his lips against Hermione's. I practically leaped across the table at Luke to grab a hold of his neck, but Ron held me back. I watched Hermione closely to see if she was kissing him back. To my utter relief, she wasn't.

Suddenly, Hermione pulled away almost as quickly as he had kissed her and pulled her hands away from Luke's. "Luke, you're a great guy and an amazing friend but I can't. I don't feel that way about you. I mean…" Hermione turned her head and smiled softly at me. "I love Harry, he's so sweet and utterly one of the best guys I have ever met. You're just… a friend."

Luke didn't look surprised, but disappointed as his head dropped down. "I know you do. I just thought that maybe there would be some hope for us." He looked up and then towards me. "Harry is a really nice guy, and I can see why you like him."

I knitted my eyebrows together in frustration as Luke put on the pathetic puppy dog act that would never work for Hermione. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "You are a really nice guy, too. I've just loved Harry for a long time, long enough to know my feelings for him. You're smart, funny, attractive, and you'll easily find a girl at this school. I mean." Hermione paused to gesture her arm around the Great Hall. "Practically every single girl in this school has been dying to date you."

Ron snorted in laughter and quickly covered it up by coughing and muttering something about it being too cold in the hall. Hermione shot Ron an angry glare and turned back to Luke. "If you would like, I could easily find you a girl who is just right for you," she suggested.

Luke smiled hopefully and looked past Ron at Ginny, who was happily reading the Daily Prophet as if nothing had happened. "I do have someone in mind," he said. Ron, of course, took this the wrong way because it slightly looked like he was staring at him, and shot up.

"Look, Luke. I really hate you from all that Skrewt-shit you just pulled on Harry and Hermione, and I definitely do not swing that way! Maybe you should find someone, you know, NON-MALE?!" Ron squealed frantically, waving his hands.

"I was talking about your sister," Luke mumbled. Ron lowered his hands and glanced back at his sister.

"Well, uh, that's still a probably, mate! She's my little sister!" he snapped.

"I'd love to," Ginny said softly. Ron's eyes flew open as he turned to his sister.

"GINNY!"
"Ron, shut up! It's my love life, not yours."

Luke smiled and reached down for Ginny's hand, who eagerly took it and followed him out of the Great Hall. Ron stood speechless for a moment, completely still as he watched the "spiky-haired midget" walk out with his baby sister.

"Well, looks like Luke's out of luck!" he said cheerfully, smacking his hands together. "Ginny's going to see what a douche bag he is and dump his sorry ass!" I glanced at Hermione, who rolled her eyes and sat beside me.

"Typical Ron," I whispered into her ear. We shared our secret little laugh over our own joke.

After we finished our lunch, I walked Hermione to her Ancient Runes class before retreating to my Potions class.

"Are you sure Ron's going to be okay? I mean, he just heard that Luke had been crushing on me for a few months, and now Ginny's run off with him." Hermione frowned down at me from the top step of the classroom. "Isn't that a little… player-ish?"

I smiled and took Hermione's chin in my hand to kiss her lips softly. "Trust me, I'll talk to Luke," I whispered.

Hermione winced for a moment, but smiled. "Okay, just don't go too hard on him," she said before giving me a kiss and retreating into the classroom. As I turned to go, I smirked to myself and put my hands in my pocket. Oh, I won't go too hard on him.