A/N: This wasn't a fun one to write. Uh... enjoy? Merry Christmas everyone.

Katie's soft lips gently pressed against Y/N's. His eyes widened in shock before they closed.

Katie was overjoyed when she felt Y/N kiss back.

Her lips were soft, he could taste her cherry lip gloss as their lips moved together in unison. It was nice for both of them- Katie feeling her stomach exploding with butterflies. Y/N felt like a man, felt the loving touch he so desperately craved.

The two parted, the dizzying effect of a lack of oxygen forcing them apart. Katie was smiling widely, Y/N was wearing his cocky smirk. Katie giggled as she ran a finger across Y/N's chest and abdomen. She looked up into his eyes:

"That was amazing. That was my first kiss".

Y/N chuckled as he replied: "mine too".

"So... do you want to be my boyfriend?" Katie asked, her nervousness plastered on her face.

Y/N looked at her and considered her words. She seemed really nice, and if he was being honest he did like her, a lot. He had been shattered when Hermione had asked for distance, he felt like a big hole had been torn open inside him. He wanted desperately to fill it. Maybe this was the way.

It seemed like an eternity to Katie since she asked Y/N out. She smiled in relief when his smirk broke into a full smile and he nodded:

"Yeah... yeah I do Katie".

She squealed in excitement and happiness before the new couple leant in and kissed again.

-~-

Hermione had been sat on the group's couch nervously. The party had been going for about an hour, celebrating Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup win, but there was still no sign of Y/N or, as Lavender had noticed immediately, of Katie.

Y/N finally entered the common room wearing a tight t-shirt. He really needed to buy more clothes over summer.

The Common Room erupted for their hero as he entered, tall and proud, head held high. There were numerous hugs and handshakes as he made his way over to his friends. He finally got over to their usual couches and sat next to Hermione, a Butterbeer thrust into his hands by... somebody.

Hermione reached across to hug him, noticing his lips were particularly red. After hugging and congratulating him on the win again, she yelled over the loud music:

"Y/N... are you wearing lip gloss?"

Ron and Harry cracked up laughing. Lavender looked at Y/N with a glare close to hatred. Y/N said to Hermione:

"Can we go somewhere and talk?"

Before she could answer there was a loud cheer. Katie Bell, the last Quidditch player to arrive, had walked in. Lavender's head shot round. She instantly noticed Katie's hair was messed up, her lip gloss smudged on her cheek. Lavender looked round at Y/N, muttering: "arsehole".

The music had stopped between songs, Ron, Harry and Hermione all heard her and looked at her shocked. Lavender continued:

"So you were late getting back?"

Y/N looked at the hatred in Lavender's eyes, replying:

"Yeah, I need to talk to Her-"

"Katie was late too. She looks a mess, you've got lip gloss around your mouth. Something you wanna tell us?"

Hermione looked at Y/N in realisation. She gave him a look he would remember until the day he died. It was a look of a broken heart. She barely managed to stutter out:

"Are you... are you two...?"

Y/N sighed as Katie walked passed, giggling with her friends, rubbing his shoulder before heading up to the girls dorms.

"Yes. Sorry Hermione, I wanted to tell you in private but-"

"No. No it's ok Y/N. I'm happy for you".

There was an awkward silence. Lavender scowled at the ceiling. She was furious at Y/N. She was furious at both of them. Why didn't they just admit they liked each other? Why did they have to keep doing this? And now he's snogging that bitch Katie. She knew she had to be there for her best friend and there would be a lot of tears but she had to support her. And when she got Y/N alone she would hex him into oblivion. For hurting Hermione and for not fighting for her.

Hermione sat there knowing she couldn't take much more. She was barely holding back tears and did not want to break down in front of him. She put on her bravest voice:

"I think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day. Good night. I'm happy for you Y/..." and with that she ran.

Lavender scowled at Y/N, yelling at him:

"I hope you're happy! You just broke her heart!"

She stormed off to follow her best friend.

Y/N stood up without saying a word to the two shocked boys or the rest of the party who had stopped and watched the scene unfold.

He stormed out of the common room, students parting a path for him, even the seventh years were intimidated by Y/N when he had the look he currently wore.

As he stormed towards the seventh floor the only 'person' he ran into was Peeves, the poltergeist.

Peeves was overjoyed, congratulating Y/N for knocking out 'Pesky Corner'.

The Ravenclaw was a prefect and would often interrupt Peeves's pranks. The poltergeist was delighted Y/N had hit him so hard he would likely be out for the rest of the school year.

Y/N made it to the Room of Requirement to see a familiar sight- a large circular space. He walked to the middle and dozens of training dummies brandishing wands appeared around the edge and started to move inwards.

"Fucking come on" he snarled as he started to fire a barrage of spells.

-~-

Hermione cried her eyes out into her best friends chest. She was devastated. She had came to a realisation. Hermione thought she may love Y/N. She hoped he loved her back.

But she had rejected him, in a foolish attempt to protect herself and driven him straight into another girl's arms. Hermione was absolutely distraught.

"He's such an arsehole" Lavender said trying to comfort her.

"No he's not. Don't say that Lav, please". Hermione begged.

Lavender was trying to hold back tears herself. Seeing Hermione in this state broke her heart.

"Well what would you call it then Hermione? How could he just move on like that?"

"He's just trying to protect himself. Like he said,he just wants to be happy for once. It's my fault. I was the one who said I didn't want to be close with him. It's all my fault".

Hermione burst into tears again. Lavender wanted to hurt Y/N so bad for doing this to Hermione. But what she wanted more was for her best friend to be happy.

"You love him don't you." Lavender asked with a sigh. Hermione wiped her eyes, nodding her head and answering quietly:

"Of course I do"

Lavender sighed.

"Well then you are gonna need to be brave. Swallow it down deep and hold it there. I don't think he and Katie will last too long, and when they do split you need to tell him how you feel".

Hermione nodded, wiping her eyes again. She asked:

"How do you know they won't last long though?"

Lavender dead panned her, answering:

"She's a fucking bitch!"

Hermione burst out in laughter, muttering "language" through her giggles. Lavender joined her in laughing soon after. When they had calmed Lavender looked at Hermione sincerely.

"You just need to make sure she can't pull you two apart. Stay his best friend. Be there for him like you always have been. Don't try anything underhanded, she will accuse you of it, trust me. And when she does that will piss Y/N off. Remember 'nobody messes with 'Mione'"

Lavender deepened her voice in a terrible impression of Y/N, causing Hermione to laugh again.

"How do you seem to know so much about this Lav?"

Lavender chuckled.

"Well you know my Mum is a witch and dad is a muggle; and you know how my older sister didn't have any magic- well she goes to a muggle high school and trust me, they are dreadful for all this crap. So much drama".

Both girls laughed as Hermione finally finished crying. Logical, rational Hermione was back. She had a plan now. She would be Y/N's best friend, wait until the time is right, and then confess her feelings, like she should have weeks ago.

She was determined not to make the same mistake a second time.

-~-

It was a dark, windy and stormy night. Off the coast of Devon sat a small rocky island with a single building at its centre. The island was Unplottable, thought to be a mirage by any muggles who happened to sail close to it.

Four men and a centaur stood around a table in the building. They were the Council of the Phoenix- a hidden group, working from the shadows, following the every move of one twelve year old boy.

The first man was his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He believed the boy would be the one to bring peace to the Wizarding World, but he was becoming ever more concerned about the boy's dark tendencies that were emerging.

The second man was Y/N's brother and legal guardian, Jacob L/N. He had trained the boy for nearly five years and turned him from the traumatised weakling he had been into a deadly weapon. He had much more training to deliver, and time appeared to be running out.

Third was the famed auror Alastair Moody, known to all as Mad-Eye. He had helped train the boy and was skeptical of Dumbledore's fears. The boy needed to be hard in order to do what awaits him. Unlike the other important child, Harry Potter, the Prophesied One could do what needed to be done and keep going. He just killed a dark wizard days earlier and hadn't lost a wink of sleep over it. That wasn't the first time the boy had killed. That's what was needed to move forward. That's what was needed to win the war that's coming. They didn't need to contain the boy's razor edged tendencies. They needed to unleash him.

The final man was a mystery even to those in the room. He was the head of the Department of Mysteries. As such nobody knew his real name or identity. He was only known by his pseudonym, 311. None present had even seen his face. He was covered, perhaps permanently, with a strange mask, one which moved to replicate his emotions and speech. His voice was distorted when he spoke, sounding what the muggles would call robotic. He was a firm believer in the boy, having worked with the prophecy for so long. He had protected and assisted the boy from the shadows, and yet the boy knew very little of his existence.

Finally there was the centaur, Firenze, of the Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest. He, like his people, believe in the inherent goodness of the boy. The child had frequented the campsite of his people numerous times and had always been respectful and eager to learn from the Centaurs. This humility was not something that had happened often in their interactions with wizards. He was welcomed and accepted as a member of the herd by their leader, Bane.

Dumbledore had just finished his retelling of the events of the past year.

"So the boy is showing a hard edge. That's hardly something to be worried about Albus. Hell Jacob and I have taken him out numerous times where he's had to ventilate the scum we were up against" Mad-Eye, the gruff auror, replied to his old friend's concerns.

"I agree" the masked man 311 continued.

"The Prophesied One will need to kill many, many more before he exterminates the Dark Lord. We can't afford for him to develop weakness or fear".

"My leader Bane has read many prophecies in the stars regarding Y/N, and all is progressing as it should. The girl is definitely his soulmate. She will keep him from embracing evil."

Jacob chuckled.

"I agree Firenze. So Y/N and Hermione are having some nerves. They're kids, it's to be expected. And so until then my brother is sowing some wild oats. He's a red blooded boy in the swing of puberty. I don't think we need to be worried about this... Katie... You said her name was?"

Albus nodded.

"I agree, I still think he will make the right choices. He chose to protect out of love after all. I just can't help but be concerned. We could have kept what happened in the chamber quiet. I'm worried about the effect on his mentality all this...publicity will have. Not to mention your news from Nurmengard Jacob".

Jacob sighed.

"Y/N won't know about that. Not for a while anyway. I've spoken to Dean and he has agreed, somewhat unwillingly, not to tell him".

Albus nodded.

"So we are in agreement then. At the end of year feast I will confirm the rumours. The boy will face a lot of adulation, it will be up to those of us in this room to keep his feet on the ground and his head out of the clouds. But turning him into a hero is more likely to stop him becoming a villain".

The Council agreed unanimously and left their hidden headquarters until the next meeting. Albus though still felt some grave misgivings about what he must do next.