"I'm gonna meet her tonight, Ron!" said Harry excitedly at breakfast.

Ron was excited, too. "Get me a friend!"

Harry and Ron laughed while Hermione quietly sipped her juice.

"Are you excited about meeting your boyfriend, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Yes," replied Hermione. "Very. Obviously you can't wait to meet your girlfriend."

"That's true," said Harry.

"I know," said Hermione.

"Something's bugging you, Hermione. I can tell," said Harry sadly. "We're not as close friends as before. I saved your life, remember? When we were first years?"

"I helped!" chirped Ron.

The three were quiet, remembering it.

"Yes, that was very brave of you two," said Hermione. Then the mail came in. Hedwig brought Harry in a note, which Hermione had written him last night, pretending to be Stacey.

Harry read aloud, "Gary, tonight is our meeting. I'm so excited. Don't forget -- the end of the table! Can't wait to see you, Stacey. Well, I think that's nice enough, don't you, Hermione? Ron?"

"Yes," they replied.

Harry leaned back on his chair and said dreamily, "I'm the luckiest guy alive."

*

That night at dinner, Hermione nervously waited for Harry to come. A loud bang came from behind her. She turned around to see a third year who had fallen off of his chair backwards.

"Oh, let me help you up!" said Hermione, going over to the third year.

A voice behind her said, "Always like you to be a kind soul. Hi, Stacey. It's Gary..."

Hermione turned around. "Oh, sorry!" said Harry, his face red. "I thought you were Stacey."

Hermione said in a barely audible voice, "I am."

Harry led her over to the table. "Hermione, I know you're jealous, but--"

"Harry! I'm not lying!" said Hermione. She pulled out the note from "Gary". She handed it to him. "We should have been honest right from the start."

Harry took the letter from her and read it. "This is my handwriting, and sure enough, I remember writing this. If you were Stacey, why were you acting all jealous?"

"Harry, you were...well, I don't know. You were just talking about how pretty she is, and you never saw her...I mean, me. You never mentioned anything about her personality, and that's stupid. It's an air head thing. It's a GUY thing."

Harry was silent for a minute. "You know what, you're right. I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention to your other great qualities."

Hermione felt soft inside. "My other great qualities? Like what?" she asked sweetly.

"Well, your intelligent, and nice, and funny, and..." Harry blushed. "Pretty."

"Well, we've established THAT already," joked Hermione. She and Harry laughed and ate a great dinner together.

"To new beginnings," said Harry, raising his glass in the air.

Hermione's glass met his. "Cheers!"