Abundant Skies
Chapter Nine: Mistake
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Well.. This chapter's going to be a real treat.. Tee hee. I'm not going to give away why, so you'll just have to read it and find out..
Hope you guys like it!
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Hermione concentrated on her work, scanning the text rapidly and trying to write down notes at the same time. Professor McGonagall had assigned a new essay for them, and of course, she couldn't help but get started on it. She knew she had plenty of time. Three weeks. But it somehow relaxed her. Although it was more difficult to do, with the constant flips her stomach kept doing and her eyes flickering up to the boy in front of her. Restless butterflies filled her stomach, frantic.
Harry Potter.
She didn't know why she had agreed to do their homework together. She didn't know how the yes had just zipped out of her mouth without any thought or hesitation. She would've made an excuse right after, but she couldn't. Harry's face had lit up the moment she responded, and she wasn't sure she had seen him.. So glad before. She didn't know why, of course, but she figured it was because he needed help with his assignment. But so far, more than half and hour had gone by, and not a word uttered to her, asking for help. So why had he asked her to be here with him? Maybe he had just realized how easy it was, and figured he didn't need her help anymore. Hermione sighed, as she turned her gaze back to her work. Neat, perfect aligned paragraphs, readable handwriting. She picked up the textbook, and flipped through the pages, trying to find the next creature that was considered `easily transformable'. She started working again, although her wrist ached, from writing straight for half an hour.
Harry's eyes flickered up at Hermione, as he skimmed through his textbook. She seemed to be focused, concentrating, as always. Unlike him. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't think. His eyes read the words, but didn't seem to remember what they meant. So, basically, he kept reading the same page over and over again. He wasn't getting far. He was so distracted, by the girl in front of him. Every time she dipped her quill in ink, flipped a page, wrote down a little note, every time she bit her lip.. He was watching her. He couldn't help but to. He was so captivated, mesmerized by her. The fire was thriving and strong, in the fireplace, providing good light for them to study and read in. But he didn't see the way the firelight made everything much clearer in his textbook, or the way his eyes were less strained unlike the last time. He could only see the way the light and shades played across her face, the way she looked so radiant.. Her hair seemed much lighter, wavy and luminous on her shoulders. He didn't know someone could be so beautiful.
He had asked her to study with him, here in the common room, while everyone else was supposed to be asleep. Of course he had known he wouldn't be able to do his work, on account of his lingering gaze and the rapid frenzy of butterflies in his stomach. But he wanted to be with her, even if it meant not doing what he had planned to do, which was get his essay done. He didn't know when else he could be alone with her, without Lavender and Ron around, and the other Gryffindors. Some of them were already suspicious of his feelings for her, if not sure by now. He didn't want them to tease him when they saw him with her, seeming to be more than `friendly'. Or their stupid little inside jokes. Hermione would figure out, if they would pull one of their acts in front of her. She was smart. She would find out how he truly felt about her. And somehow he wanted her to. He wanted her to know that he loved her, and would do anything to be with her. But there was just too much at stake. He might lose her. He couldn't bear that.
Hermione's gaze traveled to Harry, and noticed his eyes were on her, also. She could feel her quill suddenly loosen in her grip, as she tried to search his eyes. Why was he looking at her like that? Why did he look at her like.. He longed for her? Hermione could feel her heart beat fast in her chest, as she set down her textbook. Harry suddenly realized that she had noticed him staring, and looked down quickly, flustered. He felt warmth spread through his cheeks, as he heard the rustling of her papers.
"Harry?" She said softly. He looked up, her brown eyes so warm and deep. He fought to not get lost in them, but was having an awfully hard time trying to keep it up.
"Do you need any help?" She asked. Harry looked down at his parchment, only half way done. He sighed, as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Yes, I really do." Hermione smiled, as she got up and walked over to him. Harry could feel himself get lightheaded as she leaned over to read what he wrote, her fragrant scent filling his nose. He couldn't help but ask himself how she managed to smell so good… Cho hadn't smelled as good as Hermione. Or any other girl, but he wasn't really sure. He watched her, as her eyes traveled from line to line, rapidly. She pursed her lips together, as she went on to the next paragraph. Harry felt so light, like a feather, as he saw her lick her lips. He suddenly noticed how soft her lips seemed to be, and couldn't help but think how it would feel to kiss them.. Sweet, soft, moist, addicting.. He felt the butterflies in his stomach erupt, crackling with energy, as he looked down, reddening at what he had just been thinking. Although he knew he couldn't deny.. What he would do to get a chance to kiss her.
"What you've done is precise, and very good, so far," she said, as she put his paper back on the desk. She looked over at him, and then the textbook he had in front of him. She read the page he had been on, and looked back at him, smiling.
"So you're having a hard time on the mortal in cage theory," she said. "I was stuck on that one too, it's very confusing. Professor told us so little about it." She flipped through the book, as Harry watched her.
"I think.. You'll see.. More about it.. Here," she said, as she stopped on a page, and handed it to Harry. He read over it, and recognized the information.
"I've already read this," he said to her. "It doesn't add up." Hermione looked at him, puzzled.
"What doesn't add up?"
"In my other textbook, the one Professor McGonagall gave out to us a week ago, it says something completely different," he said.
"What do you mean?" She asked him. Harry stood up, as he went over to his book bag on the couch. He picked up a fairly thick book, looking new and undamaged. He walked over to where she was, and laid the book on the table, flipping through the pages. He stopped at a page where there was a picture of a lady with a long black hair, reading over a book and constantly writing down notes on a piece of parchment.
"Here," Harry said, pointing to a very small paragraph, only consisting of three sentences.
"A wealthy witch, named Rosalyn Aristine, descendant of a very bright and successful line of ancestors working in Transfiguration, discovered the mortal in cage theory. She received much controversy, for some people believed it was all a lie, or a plan to bring back attention to her family, because of a false concept from her great grandmother; Aresyntha Melowdin. The false concept brought many heated arguments between wealthy families, and shamed the Aristine family," Hermione read aloud. She read over it again, just to make sure.
"Well that's odd," she said, looking back at the other textbook. "It said it was her mother who had brought shame onto the family, not her great grandmother."
"Exactly," Harry agreed. "I don't know what to make of it."
"Maybe," Hermione bit her lip, as she scanned over the other textbook. "Maybe her mother brought shame to the family for a different reason. Its doesn't say how the mother did it, but maybe.."
Harry stood up, and flipped through the pages, finally landing on a page far in the back.
"Ara Melowdin, was the mother," Harry said, reading over the information. "Oh," he said, as he finished.
He handed the textbook to Hermione, and he saw a smile spread across her face, as she read over it. He could feel his heart stop for a second as she looked back up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. She looked back at the book.
"So, they had been working on it together. Ara and Aresyntha. But some people didn't believe Ara did it, because of her reputation."
Harry smiled, "exactly." Hermione sighed, as she walked over to her side and grabbed her parchment. She stood next to Harry, muttering an ink-erasing spell with her wand. Harry watched as a whole section of her paper vanished. Hermione picked up her quill, and started working again. Harry sighed, as he picked up his own quill and added the information.
His eyes traveled back to her, when he was done. He saw her fumbling with her paper, as a big blot from a spillage of ink stained it. She wiped it off with her finger, and tucked a loose curl behind her ear, before working again.
Hermione sighed, as she reread her paper, and put it down. She turned to Harry, and smiled.
"Well, thanks for spotting that, Harry. I never would've made sense of it, like you did."
"It was just a matter of boredom and having a new book," he smiled. He noticed ink on the side of her cheek, probably from the inkblot on her paper.
"Uh, Hermione, you've got ink on your cheek," He said. She blushed, as she wiped her cheek.
"Um, a little more to the right," he said. After a few seconds, she still didn't get it, so he raised his hand, without thinking. Hermione froze, as his fingers rose to meet up her cheek. Harry noticed what he was doing, and found himself lost in her eyes once again. He stroked her cheek, wiping away the ink smear. Hermione was frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. His fingers trailed her cheek, and she felt as if they were smoldering her skin, leaving a tingling trail that was icy but at the same time, burning. She suddenly became aware of how close they were, their faces just inches from each other's. Hermione swallowed hard, as Harry's hand made no move to retreat from her cheek.
Her skin burned pleasantly from his touch.
Suddenly she realized his hand was placed against her hot skin, sending electricity crackling through her veins, flashes, embers going off in her. Her nerves and conscience were screaming at her, in a frenzy. She was lost inside his gaze, and thought she could almost see how he was feeling, about her. But she was troubled; that couldn't be it. He couldn't feel that way about her. There was just no way.
He looked at her like he wanted her, longed for her. Like he loved her, from the very depths of his soul.
No. No. He couldn't love her. Not in that way. He didn't feel that way about her.
Harry swallowed hard, his palm placed against her smooth cheek. His heart felt as if it was going to jump out, the butterflies more energetic and hyper than ever. It seemed as if everything had disappeared. It was just him and her. Not in the common room, not anywhere. Just him and her. Alone.
Suddenly, without thinking, as he remembered her smile, her twinkling brown eyes that melted everything inside him, he spoke.
"You're beautiful," he whispered. Hermione felt as if everything had stopped. Time, the world turning. Everything. This couldn't be.. Harry couldn't have just called her beautiful. She wasn't. She wasn't beautiful. How could he say that? Why did he say that? Hermione felt as if she was brain-dead. So many questions, so many feelings swirling inside of her. She was frozen, but all she wanted to do was run away. As fast as she could. This was all a dream. Harry hadn't called her beautiful. She had just wished he had, and it her dream was just.. NO. NO. This was just a dream.
She didn't want it to be just a dream.
Just then, she realized his face had been moving closer and closer, until she felt his lips on her own.
She had died. She just knew it.
He was kissing her. She felt his other arm wrap around her, pulling her closer until she could feel his heart beating against her own. She didn't know if this was real. It felt real. But it was against everything. He wasn't kissing her. He couldn't be.
He was.
Hermione felt light headed, dizzy.. She was fading. She couldn't hear, a white noise roared inside her ears. Her heart was going to jump out any second now. Her knees buckled, everything, her limbs, her legs. She was weak. His lips molded against hers, as she parted her mouth and his tongue slipped inside, dancing with hers. He tasted sweet, like a god sent heavenly drug that filled her soul. His hand burned through her thin shirt, holding her so close she could smell his scent once again. His palm smoldered her cheek, tingling and fiery. She could feel herself kissing him back, although she hadn't chosen to. He deepened the kiss, as his hand on her cheek slid down, and wrapped around her waste, holding her even closer.
Harry hadn't felt anything like it before. Her lips were so soft, so sweet, and addicting. He pressed her small frame against his lean body, as her hand rested on his chest. Her touch, even with a piece of cloth separating form his bare skin, burned him. Scarred him. He deepened the kiss, as she started kissing back, their tongues massaging against each other's. Harry could feel tiny explosions inside of him, his nerves humming with excitement and immense energy. His hands stung, caressing her soft and warm body.
Just then, they heard the door open and footsteps.
"Hermione-" they sprang apart, as Lavender was atop the stairs, gaping at them. Hermione looked at Harry, his lips swollen and his hair as messy as ever. She could feel her cheeks burning up, as she screamed at herself mentally. No, this was not happening. It didn't happen. Hermione ran to the table quickly, and gathered her things, as Harry watched her, still speechless from what had happened. Hermione stuffed her parchments, not caring if they would rip or wrinkle, as she ran past him. She was breathing hard, her heart pounding, her legs still wobbly and weak. Her head felt light, dizzy. She was still in a daze, about what had happened, about everything. But she had to get out of here. She had to get away from him.
"Hermione-" He called out, but she was already running up the stairs, and into the girl's dormitories, slamming the door behind her. Harry stared at the door, his thoughts swarming so rapidly in his head, making him feel even more lightheaded and shaky. He sighed heavily, as it came out in ragged breaths. He ran a hand through his hair, as his gaze traveled to Lavender. She was still gaping at him, at what she saw. He quickly turned away, and started gathering his things.
Lavender, surprised and stunned, slowly walked into the girl's dormitories, and found Hermione in her bed. She had to squint in the dark, to see that she had the covers over her head. Lavender got into her own bed, beside Hermione's.
Hermione was breathing hard, the cold covers against her skin and making contact through her thin shirt. She heard the rustling of Lavender's covers, and Hermione knew she was going to ask about what had happened. Hermione wouldn't know what to say. She didn't want to talk about it, ever. It just happened. Spur of the moment. It meant nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing to Harry, nothing to her. Nothing to anyone.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
She closed her eyes tightly, screaming at herself, telling her to forget. But she couldn't. She could still see everything. She still saw Harry's emerald eyes, and the way he had looked at her. Her cheek tingled where his palm had lay. Her ears rang, from the words he had uttered. Her lips still stung, as if fiery bees had had kissed her. Her hands were trembling, her body so cold, missing the warmth of his body against hers terribly. She remembered the way he had held her so closely, his gentle hands pressing her so closely against him. She felt a shiver trace up her spine, as she remembered the way he had kissed her so passionately, so intensely. She licked her lips, still shaking. She could still taste him in her mouth.
"Hermione?" She heard Lavender whisper. Hermione didn't answer. Her head was throbbing, as if some blinding mist had invaded her mind.
"Hermione, I know you're awake. No one can sleep after THAT happened."
Hermione stayed silent, silently wishing Lavender would just shut up and leave her be.
"Hermione.."
Hermione shut her eyes, tightly.
"Hermione, he kissed you. Come on. I know he's been wanting to do that for quite some time now."
"How can you say that?" Hermione suddenly snapped at her. Lavender grinned in the darkness.
"He likes you."
"No he doesn't."
"Yes he does. Hell, he might even love you, the way he kissed you so-"
"Shut up!" Hermione whispered, harshly. Lavender sighed.
"You're angry."
"I have every right to be."
"Why? He just kissed you. I know you wanted him to."
"No, I did not WANT him to," she lied. "It was a mistake. It meant nothing."
"That's bollocks, Hermione."
"It's the truth."
"No it isn't."
"How do you know?" Hermione snapped at her.
"Because Harry wouldn't do that. Harry wouldn't kiss someone because it was just spur of the moment."
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do."
"You're wrong." Lavender sighed. Why was Hermione so bloody stubborn?
"He wouldn't do that, Hermione," Lavender said softly.
Hermione sighed, silent. Lavender didn't know what she was saying. Lavender couldn't know why he had kissed her. She wasn't there. She couldn't read Harry's mind.
After a while, Lavender spoke again.
"How do you feel?" She asked, quietly.
"Scared," Hermione whispered. She was terrified. What did the kiss put her in now? How was she going to face him tomorrow? She couldn't. There was just no way. It wasn't going to be the same. Everything. Everything was never going to be the same.
It was all her fault. If only she hadn't agreed, if only she had just said no, she had other stuff to do. He never would've kissed her. She never would've kissed him back. She never would've wanted to kiss him some more. It was all her fault. She had ruined it, everything. She had done everything she had hoped wouldn't happen.
What would she say to Harry? What would he say to her? Could she even work up the courage to utter a word to him?
"Why?" Lavender whispered.
"Because I just don't know anymore," she said softly. "I don't know. Everything's just.. I just don't know what to do, Lavender. It's so unpredictable now.. What happened.. I don't know where that puts me. Where that puts us."
"He meant it, Hermione. He meant to kiss you."
"No he didn't," Hermione said, quietly. Lavender heard sadness in her voice.
"It was just a mistake. That's all it was."