Worlds Apart, Hearts Close
By Hermione Potter
Chapter 2: Meeting Hermione
"VIRGINIA MOLLY WEASLEY! How dare you wander into the Forbidden Forest! How could you be so foolish? You could have been hurt. Or worse, killed! Tell me, what was so important that you had to wander into the Forest?" Molly Weasley asked, her face red with anger. (A/N: I know Ginny's name is Ginerva, I just decided to use Virginia.)
Harry had brought Ginny back to the Burrow. The Burrow was where the Weasleys lived. They didn't have much, but they had enough to survive.
When Harry had spoken to Molly and explained everything, she was furious. He had never seen her so mad, not even at Fred and George, who were twins and always got in trouble.
"Mother, a thing dragged me in there! And then the centaurs surrounded me! It was awful! But Harry came to my rescue like he always does," Ginny said with a shrilled voice, looking at Harry with lovey-dovey eyes. He squirmed uncomfortably under her heated gaze.
"Ginny, that is the most outrageous thing I have ever heard! Centaurs are dangerous! You know that. You know better than to just go out like that! Go to your room right now. When your father gets back, we'll talk about what your punishment will be," Molly told, pointing her finger upstairs.
Ginny, with her head held down, trudged up the squeaky stairs as she longingly looked at Harry.
When she disappeared, Molly turned to look at Harry. "Thank you for bringing her back, dear. Sometimes I don't know how to deal with her. She's impossible. I can never get her to stop doing these foolish and dangerous things," she explained, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"It's no problem, Mrs. Weasley. You're all like my family. I'm really glad to help out when I can," Harry smiled.
"Oh, how sweet you are. You will make a wonderful husband and father someday," she smiled back. Harry blushed.
"Is Ron home?" he asked.
"He should be up in his room. You can go up," Molly answered.
Harry nodded absently and walked upstairs. He couldn't get that girl off his mind. She was just so mysterious.
He knocked on Ron's door and hurried shuffling inside before the door flipped open. He came face-to-face with Ron who looked like he had just ran 5 miles.
Ron was a bit taller than Harry, a bit gangly. He had fiery red hair that grew uncontrollably, but he had always managed to get it cut once in a while. His blue eyes were deep that it almost matched the night sky.
"Hey, mate! Come on in. I was just. . . .straightening things up," Ron said slowly, scratching his head.
"You? Being clean? I thought I would never see the day!" Harry chuckled, walking in and taking a seat on a worn out chair.
"I heard what happened downstairs. Ginny is kind of clueless when she least expects it," Ron laughed.
Harry nodded in agreement as he leaned back in the chair with his hands under his head. He kept thinking about her.
"Mate? You in there?" Ron asked, waving his hand in front of Harry's face. He shook his head and looked at his best friend.
"What happened? I mean in the Dark Forest," he asked. Harry turned his head to look at Ron.
"It's just. . . .I saw this girl. And she was riding this amazing horse. It was surrounded by fire! And her face. It was just so. . .," Harry couldn't find the word.
"Beautiful?" Ron suggested with a slight frown.
"Yeah. Definitely beautiful. She was a riding maiden if you ask me," he sighed with a smile.
"That's what some people call her. The Riding Maiden. Or the Keeper of the Forest. Guardian of the Fire Stallion," Ron ticked off the names on his fingers.
"Everyone knows about her? I was never told about this. So spill," Harry laughed. Ron remained quiet.
"Ron? Is something wrong?" he asked, worried.
"Her real name is Hermione Jane Granger. She's a loner. People say she was raised by magical creatures in the forest and that her parents were killed by You-Know-Who. Mum and Dad have told me myths and stories about her. Whenever someone wanders into the Forbidden Forest, she banishing them away. She's a Muggle-Born witch. Powerful though. She's different from us, Harry," Ron explained softly.
"I've never heard a legend like that. It's far-fetched," Harry disagreed.
In the Potter Manor, Harry sat quietly with James and Lily at the dinner table.
"Is there something wrong dear? Did something happen in the forest?" Lily asked, concerned.
"Nothings wrong, really. It turned out Ginny was being swarmed by centaurs. Don't know why though. The centaurs in the forest are gentle. But they can be rough sometimes. They only get defensive when something really offends them. And then, well, we saw Dementors," Harry mumbled. James's eyes widened.
"Dementors?! Are you all right?" Lily asked with panic,
"I'm perfectly all right, mum. No worries at all. I wasn't hurt," he smiled softly.
"Oh, what a relief. I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you," she said with her hands over her face.
"Could you tell me about Hermione Granger?" Harry blurted out.
"Hermione Granger? You mean the Keeper of the Forest? Did you run into her today?" James asked.
"Yes. Yes. And yes," Harry answered repeatedly.
"Well, she is a mysterious young maiden. Her parents were friends of ours. Very close. But then, Voldemort murdered them. At first we thought they had killed Hermione as well. But Mr. Weasley had a run-in with her when they were investigating something."
"She doesn't really communicate with humans. She guards the forest and the creatures inside of it. She tries to protect them as much as she can. But you can go so far, She has something against humans who are wizards or witches, even though she is a witch herself," Harry's father explained.
"She told me to leave and never set foot inside again. Before I could say anything, she just rode away," Harry replied, half truthfully.
"You know you can talk to us about anything, honey," Lily assured with a gentle look in her eyes.
Harry nodded his head and answered back, "Yes, mum. I know. Do you know where Sirius is?"
"He should be in the library," James thought.
"Thanks. It was a delicious dinner, mum." he said with a slight bow and exited. (A/N: Yes, Lily makes the meals. No servants or anything.)
Harry walked through the halls up down the stairs into the grand library.
"Sirius?" Harry called.
"Harry, my boy! What brings you into this place? Usually I see you here when you're bored out of your mind," Sirius grinned.
"I know. Sirius, since you know everything about the Forbidden Forest, I wanted to know about Hermione Granger," Harry said quickly.
"Ah, the graceful Granger. She's a legend in your generation, Harry. But I know that parents have talked to you about her already. Many people in the Gryffindor Kingdom think that she was Princess of Ravenclaw. For what reason, I have no clue. It was most likely of her intellect and knowledge," Sirius explained.
"Do you know where she can be found?" Harry asked. Sirius eyed him carefully.
"So, you've grown a liking to her, I assume. A very strong liking, I see," he laughed. Harry's face burned.
"It's not like that. Really. She just seems mysterious and I somehow need to meet her. It feels like I've known her all my life," he stated. Sirius smiled, inwardly.
"She's usually found at the middle of the forest. Where the lake is," he answered.
"How do you know about all of this?" Harry asked.
"When you get to be as old as I am, you know a lot of things," Sirius answered.
Harry nodded and walked toward the window.
"She was just so. . . .beautiful. I couldn't stop thinking about her," he sighed.
"Many noble men have fallen for her, Harry. None of them managed to snag her heart. Maybe you will triumph where others have failed," Sirius whispered. Harry blushed slightly, but shook it off.
That night when everyone was asleep, Harry snuck out of bed and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak. He made his way down to the front door and slid out as quietly as he could.
Harry ran into the stables and took Lightning out.
"Come on, boy. I have to see Hermione. Let's go," Harry whispered, getting on the black horse and riding off into the Dark Forest once again.
'The lake, That's where she usually is,' he thought, ushering Lightning to go toward the middle of the forest.
Harry hopped off Lightning and tied him to a tree branch,
"I'll be right back, boy. Don't worry," Harry promised, petting Lightning's snout.
He walked slowly toward the lake and held in his breath when he saw a cloaked figure kneel at the edge of the lake and gather some of the water in a bowl.
Harry hid behind a tree watching her.
The figure took of their hood and revealed Hermione. Then he saw something on her forehead that wasn't there before. It was a head piece. In the middle was a sapphire with a white gold band around her head.
'What is that?' Harry thought, questioningly.
Hermione sat down on the ground next to what looked like a wolf. It seemed to be wounded. But Harry rarely ever saw a wolf in the Forbidden Forest.
"Drink this, little one," Hermione said softly, giving the little wolf the bowl. She took out a cloth and soaked it in the lake. Then she brought it back and dabbed the wound. The wolf howled in pain.
"I'm sorry. But it does hurt sometimes," she apologized, stroking the fur on the wolf's head.
When Hermione was done, the wolf was fast asleep, obviously from pain and lack of strength.
Harry took a step back, but unfortunately stepped on a twig. He clasped a hand over his mouth.
Hermione turned to the trees.
"Who's there?" she called, standing up. Harry gulped slightly when he saw Hermione take out an arrow and bow. She shot it into the air and a light erupted from it.
Hermione looked toward the tree where Harry was hiding and her eyes widened.
"You! What are you doing here? I told you to never come back!" Hermione shouted with a slight glare.
Harry walked out and stopped in front of her.
"I'm not looking for any trouble, really. I wanted to meet you," he said softly. Hermione looked at him with a slight shock.
"I'm Harry Potter from the Gryffindor Kingdom," he introduced himself with a polite bow.
"I've heard about you. Aren't you the son of James and Lily?" Hermione asked. He nodded, answering.
"Well, it was nice meeting you. Goodbye," Hermione dismissed, turning around.
"Hey!" Harry retorted, grabbing her shoulder and making her turn around. She shook him away.
"Don't touch me. I've been hurt far too many times by your kind," she spat. Harry looked at her with a slight hurt look on his face.
"I would never hurt you. I'm not like Voldemort, Hermione. I don't hurt innocent people," Harry said softly.
"I don't trust people that easily. And how do you know my name?" she asked.
"I don't blame you, Hermione. I know your name because I've heard about you," he answered with a gentle smile. She blushed softly.
'Who is this guy? And why is he making me feel like this?' she thought, a bit dizzy.
"I must go," Hermione whispered.
"What? But why? We just met," he said was a frown.
"I have to get back to my home. The animals need my help. It's already morning," she said,
"When can I see you again?" Harry asked, grabbing her hand.
"Meet me here tonight," she said thoughtfully.
'I can't wait,' Harry thought giddily.
"Till tonight. Goodbye for now Harry Potter," she bid goodbye, taking back her hand and disappeared into the trees.
"Till tonight, Hermione Granger. Till tonight," Harry whispered.
A/N: Well, this was a long one! I hope you all enjoyed it. Please review! I'd appreciate it! Thanks for all your reviews for the first chapter!