Unofficial Portkey Archive

It Starts…

There are several times in a young man's life where he just needs to say three important words; three words that could make or break his relationship. Those three words could be interpreted as a submission, surrender, or a strong stand against his lover. These three words could mean the world and these three words are the ones they long to hear.

"You're right, dear."

Three simple words in the English language; three syllables, three words.

And yet Ron couldn't say them for the life of him.

Harry had tried, Merlin knows Harry had tried to get Ron to say those three simple words to Lavender. In response to their argument a week ago, Lavender and Ginny had been ignoring Ron. Everything he'd said, they'd ignored.

"Just say sorry," Harry pleaded with his friend.

Ron simply ignored Harry's efforts, folded his arms defiantly and scowled menacingly at his younger sibling. "I am NOT apologising."

Ginny, Hermione and Lavender sat together at the end of the Gryffindor table during meal times. It was rare that Ginny or Lavender sat closer than four seats to Ron. Hermione liked to sit with Harry after her Arithmancy lessons, just to let of some steam and calm down.

Meal times weren't exactly filled to the brim with pleasant conversations either and it was common for Harry to be the messenger between Lavender and Ron with Hermione coinciding as the Mediator.

"Please tell Ron that I'd like my Split Feather Quill back, please Harry," Lavender said happily and smiling.

Harry sighed loudly and turned to Ron. "Ron, will you please give Lavender back her Split Feather Quill?"

Ron snorted and brought the quill from his bag, throwing it carelessly into Harry's hands. "Here."

Lavender took the quill still with a smile and placed it neatly in her tin quill case, while muttering "Stubborn bastard."

@@@@@@@@@

Later that evening, Hermione and Harry were quietly talking together in the Prefect's common room. It had been quite a hectic week and it was really the only time that they'd been able to talk to each other without the confines of other people.

"Hermione," Harry started turning to his girlfriend.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, looking up from her Potions book balanced in her lap.

"I, err…" Harry tried, stumbling on his words. He took a deep breath and dove straight in. "I've decided to resign as Head Boy."

"Why?" Hermione asked sounding as calm as usual. "Is it getting to much to deal with, with practice and school work? Not to mention the whole Voldemort thing…"

Harry looked at Hermione for a moment. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she replied. "Why would anything be wrong? Nothing's wrong, nothing what so ever."

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking her hand in his. "You're babbling more than a brook. Tell me what's up."

Hermione sighed and closed her book. "I'm worried, Harry."

Being the gentleman he was, Harry quickly put his arm around her shoulders and huddled closer to her, cuddling her. "Tell me."

"I think we're taking things a little too fast," she breathed out, in seemingly one breath. "We jumped straight into a hugging and kissing relationship and I know we're both verging on adulthood but…I…I just don't know, Harry."

Harry tried to get his breath a little before speaking. "Are you saying you want to break up?"

Hermione jumped a little but turned to look him in the eye. "No. Not for one minute have I regretted any part of it, but I think we should slow down. Just in case."

"I know," Harry smiled lovingly, and kissed his girlfriend soundly on the lips. "I've been thinking the same thing really."

Hermione grinned at him and hugged him a little closer, putting her feet up next to her boyfriend's on the coffee table. "So, what's this about wanting to resign?"

Harry sighed. "I just don't want the responsibility."

"Think of what it will say on your job applications, Harry," Hermione replied, sounding like her old self. "Not to mention University. If you have Head Boy of Hogwarts, they'll take you instantly. Not just because of that mind you, your NEWTS count as well."

Squeezing Hermione's hand, Harry smiled and said. "I just don't thing I'll be able to juggle Quidditch, studying, and school work with Head Boy duties. I'd rather be studying than wandering the halls at night."

Hermione sighed loudly, a resounding sigh that said that she didn't approve at all. "I see you've thought about it quite a lot, but I can't stop you. I'm disappointed, but I guess you know what's best for you."

"And we have to plan a New Year's Day party," Harry grinned.

@@@@@@@@@

Unfortunately, things began to take a turn for the worse, just before the Christmas holidays.

It all started in Potions. That one fatal Potions lesson, two hours on a Friday afternoon. As usual, I'd been paired with Hermione whilst Ron was finding it extremely annoying that he got Neville yet again.

Anyway, there we were, sitting in our usual seats watching Professor Snape walk into the classroom and up to the blackboard. He pulled out his pointing stick again and pointed at a complicated recipe on the board.

I could already hear Ron groan behind me. It was a recipe for disaster since he was working with Neville.

"You think we can do that?" Hermione whispered to me, leaning across breathing in my ear and across my neck, sending tiny tingles down my spine.

I grinned at my own reaction. It wasn't uncommon for something so simple as breathing from Hermione to become something so…electrifying. Ever since we'd finally become a couple, everything has seemed to be going so fast. Kissing was natural, like breathing now but I still felt like we were rushing into the relationship. Thinking that I should reply, I opened my mouth to speak.

"I think so," I whispered back and was, unsurprisingly, immediately caught by Snape.

"Potter," He growled menacingly. I heard Neville gulp behind me. "I find it quite amusing how you always seem to pair yourself with our Head Girl, Miss Granger, and get passable marks. Would it be the same if we placed you with Longbottom?"

I gulped down, hard. Hermione pressed down on my foot underneath the table. "I suppose it would, Sir."

He scoffed. "Suppose? You better more than 'suppose' Potter. Longbottom! Weasley! Switch partners."

Ron collected his things together, as did I. Just as I was standing up, Hermione grabbed my arm lightly and gave me a look that pleaded 'Don't leave me!'

"We haven't got all day, Potter!" Snape screeched from his blackboard.

When Ron and I were seated with our new partners, Neville turned to me and gave me a grin the size of the Tame Valley. "I finally asked out Padme last night."

I could feel my own grin plastering itself on my face. After watching Neville's countless efforts to try and impress the twin, it was finally paying off. "Congrats, Nev."

Neville shrugged still grinning. "It was nothing. Animal magnetism."

"Today, class," Snape began pointing his stick at the blackboard. "We are going to concoct a Truth Potion."

As soon as he spoke, Malfoy's hand shot up in the air.

"Yes, Malfoy?" Snape sounded eager to hear from his 'star' pupil.

Malfoy was almost glowing with happiness. Ever since he got the Head Boy Head Boy badge, he'd been gloating up and down the hallways. Hermione was, in her own words, 'very displeased with the faculty's choice of a second Head Boy'. Which meant that she was extremely pissed off.

I'd accompanied Hermione to her office on the first floor Prefects corridor when I was walking into my Prefects office. No sooner had she walked through the door; Malfoy made a crack about the real meaning of 'Head Girl' and 'Head Boy'. She stalked positively seething into my office and refused to move until that 'insignificant waste of space' had moved at least five inches away from the door.

"Sir, we've already covered Truth potions last year if I remember correctly," Malfoy answered starring at Hermione in a challenge.

She scowled back, the Hermione scowl she uses when she's either jealous or feeling sarcastic.

"Very good, Malfoy," Snape beamed. "10 points to Slytherin."

The Slytherin side cackled in approval of Malfoy's statement, the Gryffindors sighed. They'd already lost 60 points in Potions and it was what, three months back? It was about 60 more points than they actually had.

Total score for Gryffindor = -60.

"We are, in fact," Snape continued in a low volume. "Going to study the most effective Truth potion just below Veritaserum: Veracity. Does anybody know the effects of the Veracity potion?"

As usual, Hermione's hand shot straight up in the air. Even though I was behind them, I swear I could hear Ron roll his eyes.

Snape looked around the classroom, only Hermione had her hand up to answer the stupid question. His glare locked on Hermione and he asked through gritted teeth, "Yes, Miss Granger?"

Hermione cleared her throat and began a detailed explanation. "The Veracity Potion, meaning Truth Potion, inhibits the consumer for seven days compulsive honesty. In short, the consumer wouldn't be able to lie for seven days or keep any thoughts to themselves, even during sleep."

Snape gritted his teeth again as he spoke, "Very good, Miss Granger."

A smile erupted on my face, a smirk at Snape. Go Hermione! But then I realised that Snape is never nice.

"Although, you neglected to mention that the potion has no antidote," Snape continued, wiping the smirk from my face and replacing it with disappointment. "…But unlike Veritaserum, the consumer need not be questioned to reveal their hidden truths. 10 points from Gryffindor for negligence of important information."

Again, Gryffindor sighed. Total number of points = -70. Suddenly, I was so glad that we were playing Quidditch next weekend against Ravenclaw.

"We will be concocting this potion today," Snape stated looking around at his class. "You will not be allowed to drink the potion as its effects can be disastrous."

Why did his eyes just flicker towards me?

"Follow the instructions on the board," he continued. "Follow them 'carefully'. I cannot stress 'carefully' enough."

His gaze rested upon Neville and I heard Neville gulp in fear.

I chopped up the ingredients and Neville added them to the Potion, using the exact measurements from the board. I looked forward at Hermione and Ron working over their cauldron. They weren't conversing at all, they were just working but ever since their argument, it wasn't uncommon for them to work together without talking.

Sometimes it was the only way they could work.

"Potter?" Snape's malicious voice broke me from my thoughts. "Are you going to stare at the back of Miss Granger's head all lesson or are you going to work?"

I hadn't realised I was staring, I was staring into space at nothing in particular. "Sorry, Sir."

"How many ingredients now, Neville?" I asked, looking over at the bubbling potion.

He looked up at me with a look of worry on his face. "I thought you were keeping count."

I slapped my hand to my forehead but heard the cauldron making a weird twisting sound. It sounded like the metal itself was twisting.

"Oh Merlin!" I shouted before leaping forward, knocking Neville out of the way just as the hook on the cauldron melted, pouring the bubbling potion onto the floor and onto my outstretched arm.

The pain was indescribable. The potion was literally eating away at my arm, melting skin. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming aloud and felt blood gush into my mouth.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, rushing over along with Professor Snape.

Ron and Neville picked up the scolding cauldron and replaced it back on its little iron feet. Hermione was staring at my arm in blatant shock as she knelt beside me, holding my other arm as support.

"Out of the way!" Snape shouted over the crowd of students gathered around me. He knelt down as well, pouring a flask of another potion onto my arm. The pain subsided and the melting stopped. "Get him up to the Infirmary."

Hermione and Ron stood up with me and we started to walk out but Snape called us back. "Just one of you."

There was a brief exchange of looks between Hermione and Ron, ending with Ron opening the door for us as we walked out of the classroom. Hermione and I walked up to the Infirmary, Hermione telling me constantly that I should be more careful with complicated potions and I was hardly being responsible.

As hard as she was trying, I knew she was worried bone deep. She clutched onto my healthy arm, nails digging into it every time my melted arm stung. She was shaking even as we walked through the Infirmary doors.

"Oh, Mr Potter!" Madame Pomfrey scolded flitting around for a Flesh-Grow potion on the nearby shelves. "I can't go a week without seeing you in here."

Pomfrey led me to one of the Infirmary beds and sat me propped against the headboard, leaning my melted arm on the bedside table. Hermione sat down next to me and gripped my hand as Pomfrey poured the Flesh-Grow potion onto the melted skin.

"Bloody…" I shouted as the potion began to take effect. I could feel the flesh crawling back onto my arm, covering the gaping hole and it hurt like hell. I tried my best not to squeeze Hermione's hand in the pain but I was finding it extremely difficult. "Oh Merlin."

"It's alright," Hermione assured me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "Your arm will be fine in a minute. Look! It's gaining its milk-bottle colour again!"

I laughed as best I could between he wincing in agony. "Thanks for the…vote of confidence…'Mione."

She grinned happily but still looked worried and slightly nauseated as she watched the flesh re-grow itself. "You're welcome."

After a few more moments of scorching pain, my arm looked as good as new. Madame Pomfrey wrapped it up in a light bandage before shooing us out of the Infirmary, giving me a warning not to have any tattoos on said arm for at least a fortnight.

Hermione and I walked down the stairs casually glancing at one another as we always did. I caught her looking at me and grinned back at her rather stupidly, to which she laughed and slapped my arm playfully before reaching up and kissing my cheek lovingly. .

"How's everything with Ron now?" I asked carefully as we swerved into the ground floor corridor and down into the dungeons.

Hermione shrugged back but seemed rather affected by this question. "We're fine now. A bit awkward around each other but that's because of other reasons."

"Like what?" I continued as we reached the Potions room.

"Nothing, it's not important," she replied pushing the door open and walking to her seat.

Potions carried on until the end without much interruption from anyone. After re-hooking Neville's cauldron, Neville and I managed to concoct a sound Veracity potion much to the dislike of Snape, who had found several other reasons during the lesson to remove points form Gryffindor.

Once the lesson had ended, everyone flooded out of the classroom except Neville and me. We stayed behind to clean up the spilt potion.

I walked out with Neville, feeling slightly relieved that the double lesson was over and that it was Friday, dinner would be in ten minutes. I hurriedly walked with Neville to the Great Hall to find Ron and Hermione already sat down at our table with Lavender, Ginny, Dean and Seamus.

"Hey Harry!" Seamus said in his thick Irish accent. "Let's see it! Let's look at your arm!"

I pulled my robe sleeve up revealing my arm good as new. Dean, Ron and Seamus sighed in disappointment.

"You make a mess like that and there's not even a scar to prove it," Ron groaned.

Hermione rolled her eyes as I sat down next to her in my usual seat. "You'd think his arm would be glowing green or something by the way you talked about it."

Ron stuck his tongue out at Hermione.

Soon, everybody was inside the Great Hall and eating dinner. I looked over at Dean and Seamus who seemed to be grinning maniacally.

"What's got you two grinning?" Lavender beat me too it as she took a spoonful of her soup.

They looked at each other and grinned again. Dean opened up his robe and brought out a small needle. We all looked at him with raised eyebrows. He placed the needle on the table and pointed his wand at it whispering, "Finite Incantatem."

Suddenly, the needle transfigured into a vial of green flowing liquid. Hermione dropped her spoon into her soup and covered her mouth with her hand.

"You didn't?" She asked looking completely shocked.

Dean nodded and transfigured the vial back into a needle, tucking it safely back into his robe pocket. "We heard Malfoy plotting on Wednesday. Snape gives the Slytherins pre-lesson plans, tells them what he's going to teach during the lesson."

Seamus took a swig of Pumpkin juice then continued. "Anyway, we heard him talkin' about makin' the Veracity Potion and putting it in the school food, leaving it out of the Slytherin table's food lot."

Dean nodded. "So we decided to do a bit of preliminary research on this potion. We couldn't prevent Malfoy from putting it in our food but…"

"We did manage to slip some in his," Seamus concluded, both with huge smiles plastered across their faces.

Unfortunately, the rest of us looked pretty ill.

"So, we're all subjected to a whole week of truth telling?" Ron gulped hard, his eyes flitting almost unnoticeably to Lavender.

Dean and Seamus nodded ruefully. "But so is Malfoy and the Slytherins. You gotta give us points for that."

"Well, it's better than it just being us," Lavender grimaced looking back down at her soup and prodding it a bit with her spoon.

"Oh Merlin," Ron groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Do you know how many secrets I have?"

"We all have secrets, Ron," Hermione replied as she always does, but she seemed as perplexed as Ron did. "There's another thing to it as well."

"What's that?" I asked and suddenly regretted it as she answered.

"I read the textbook while in Potions," she answered looking more worried by the second. "Turns out, an affected person can pass it on just by sitting next to a none affected person. It's sort of like a curse.

"They used to use it in old Prisoner of War camps to get information from the prisoners. They didn't need to worry about the transmitting effects because the more it worked on, the more effective it was in small doses."

Ginny moaned this time and hugged her bag to her chest. "So no matter who ate food today, everybody's going to catch it?"

Hermione nodded regretfully. "Looks that way."

I guess I was the only one to notice Malfoy smirking at us from his table. The next thing, he was being slapped by Pansy who stalked out of the Great Hall. Immediately, the rose-faced Slytherin found my face among the Gryffindors and scowled, like he knew what Dean and Seamus had done.

"There's only one way to tell if the potion has taken affect," Seamus grimaced and turned to Dean. "We've gotta ask someone something."

My first thought, as most would be right now, was 'Please don't ask me'.

"Ron?" Dean asked and everyone's eyes turned to Ron.

Ron shook his head. "Ask somebody else."

Seamus turned his attention to me. "Harry?"

I sighed reluctantly, but answered, "Go ahead."

It looked like Seamus and Dean didn't want to ask me, genuinely. They looked like they felt bad about it.

"Ask me," I replied.

Dean sighed this time. "We'll ask you Ron's question then."

"How many Play Wizards have you read in your lifetime?" Seamus asked plunging in, not taking a breath until the end.

I tried to lie, I tried to move my mouth in the form of a lie but nothing would come out. "One."

"Was that it?" Ron asked, shocked at how straightforward my answer had been.

"How many Play Wizards have you read Ron?" Dean asked quickly so Ron couldn't interrupt.

"Nineteen," Ron replied just as I did. It was something that he would usually lie about. Not just usually, he wouldn't admit that on his deathbed.

Hermione looked shocked, Lavender's eyes widened and Ginny remained the same.

"Nineteen?" Hermione and Lavender asked in unison.

"Fred kept them under his mattress," Ron continued and slammed his hand over his mouth. "Mmmphommhendfmgppphmhlp…"

Somehow I'm sure that he said, "Including the back issues from the 1970's."

Hermione and Lavender still looked shocked. Everyone else was expecting as much from Ron, not that he had nothing better to do, but he kept some of Fred's under his mattress.

Dean hit the table with his fist and looked pleased with himself. "Sorry about that Ron but you did ask for it. Well, it's safe to presume that the Potion has taken affect."

Ron pointed a finger at everyone sat around us. "Nobody better ask me anything personal or you've had it! I'll hex you faster than I would Malfoy."

"You only have to think something personal," Seamus replied. "Your thoughts, stuff you say to yourself in your head are spoken aloud. Just think how fun Divination's going to be."

"I'm just glad I'm a year younger," Ginny smiled standing up. "I don't have lessons with you."

Dean laughed. "You'll be missing all the fun, little Gin."

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe, but then again…"

She looked around at all of us with a bemused look on her face and her eyes seem to gain an extra twinkle when they landed on Hermione and me.

"See you later," she called as she left the Great Hall.

Several slaps could be heard all over the Hall, one in particular had a right ring to it. It was from Padme to Terry, she gave his cheek a right crack and stormed out, Terry on her heels.

"Do you think I should have a talk with Malfoy?" Hermione asked me as yet another slap was heard.

I shook my head. "And get him to make you admit something personal? No way."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at me. "What makes you think I've got anything personal to admit to?"

"Everyone has their secrets," I replied, quoting her from her conversation with Dean and Seamus. "I just don't want you to get put on the spot, that's all."

"Have you got something personal to admit?" She asked me with a challenging look in her eyes.

"Yes," I confessed. "But I'm not going to play this game with you. I'd rather admit them in my own time."

She smiled at me with her admirable smile…the smile that sent tingles shooting through my spine and to my toes. I grinned back and put my hand over hers on the table.

"I'd rather tell you them out of want," I continued. "Instead of being forced to say anything that I shouldn't."

Hermione nodded at me and gave my hand a squeeze. "Ditto."