Chapter 3: A Walking Contradiction
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It was the darkest of blacks, like the one in a moonless night or the one that might be encountered below six feet of dirt, on the playground of roots and worms.
And in the middle of that all-consuming darkness, there was a single spot of color… a glowing red sphere.
It was beating.
Softly at first, almost imperceptible, and then… blinding him.
Until the black was swallowed by a wave of red light, and a piercing scream like that of a thousand wailing souls in agony shattered the glow…
And the terrifying darkness was once again all that there was.
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Harry woke up abruptly, feeling the sweat clinging to his body as if he had just stepped out of the shower. He knew he had been dreaming, but by Merlin's sake, he couldn't remember what he had been dreaming of. Harry sat on the bed and compulsively put a hand to his forehead.
His scar was burning. And his chest felt so tight for a moment he thought someone might have been sitting on him.
"You better get used to it. Pomfrey said it's going to hurt for a while," Harry jumped at the sound of the voice and looked to his right. The voice belonged to Ron, who was sitting on a chair next to Harry's bed.
Ron reached over and took something from the night table on Harry's right. He placed it on Harry's hand and sat back down. Harry realized that what Ron had just handed him were his eyeglasses, so he quickly put them on, noticing that one of the lenses was broken. He winced in pain, feeling how stiff his left arm was.
It was at that moment that Harry realized he wasn't in his room, but in the territory of the Hogwart's nurse, Madam Pomfrey. Harry noticed his left arm felt heavy and he looked down at it; his arm was bandaged and in a sling. He also realized that there was a heavy bandage over the scar on his forehead.
"What happened?" Harry asked Ron, feeling slightly dizzy.
"You mean you don't remember your little circus performance in the library?" Ron asked, arching his eyebrow emphatically.
'The library… last thing I remember is being in the library… I climbed the bookshelf… I sat on the top… I took out the Extendible Ears and leaned forward…'
'Oh, no…'
Harry didn't remember what happened after that, but he didn't need to be a Master of the Obvious to piece the puzzle together.
"I fell. Didn't I?" Harry asked, his cheeks tinting in embarrassment.
Ron shook his head and smiled wryly, "No, mate. You didn't fell. You CRASHED like an overripe fruit. You even broke the bloody desk Hermione and Roger had been using!"
Harry wasn't sure now if the pain in his chest was because of the fall, or because of the memory of a certain girl's voice as she said, "Alright! I'll go with you to the ball!"
"Hermione… where is she?" Harry asked Ron in an oddly subdued voice.
"She's making rounds," Ron said casually. The look of disappointment in Harry's eyes did not go unnoticed by the usually thick-as-a-concrete-wall Ron.
"Oh, but she was very worried about you! She wanted to be here, but McGonagall made Roger assist Madam Pince to clean up the mess you left in the library, and Hermione got stuck with the rounds!" Ron offered.
"Yeah, right" he mumbled, the sarcasm evident in his voice even when he did not wished it. He thought he knew Hermione well enough to determine that, if she really wanted something bad enough, she would find the means to get it.
"You got a lot of explaining to do, mate," Ron said honestly, leaning back on the uncomfortable chair.
"Oh, I bet Madam Pince just wants to get her bony hands around my neck," Harry mumbled, closing his eyes tiredly.
"You don't owe her an explanation, you git! I'm talking about Hermione!" Ron replied.
"Why? Because I ruined Roger's perfect proposal? Well, I'm sorry if I got blood on his white crisp shirt. I'll try to bleed on myself next time" Harry said, surprised at his own bitterness.
It was true what Ron had implied just moments ago… he had definitely expected to see Hermione standing by his bedside. That's why it hurt so much to wake up and not have her there.
'Shut up, Potter! Don't think about that!'
"I take it by your charming disposition that the Philtrum something whatever is still working," Ron snapped at him. Harry was ashamed with himself
He had been the one that had acted like a jerk. He knew he had no right to spy on Hermione, and that he definitely didn't have a right to be mad at her for accepting Roger's invitation.
'But it still hurts like a bitch.'
"What explanation did you give?" Harry asked Ron.
"That you were trying to reach a book on the top shelf and decided to climb up… and that the bookshelf toppled. Thankfully, I had managed to stuff your Invisibly Cloak under my jumper before she noticed my presence." Ron said.
"And she believed that?" Harry asked wearily as he closed his eyes. Ron's ears went a slight shade of pink; he had never been a gifted liar.
"I don't think so. But she didn't say anything. Hermione was too worried about you. She… She took off her jumper and put it in your forehead… She got blood all over her shirt… and she was crying…she couldn't stop crying… it wasn't until McGonagall came that she calmed down," Ron started answering.
Harry didn't want to hear anything else. He closed his eyes tiredly. He knew that the mental image of Hermione crying because of his idiocy was going to torment him for a while.
"What time is it?" Harry desperately wished to change the conversation.
"A quarter to midnight," Ron answered, looking at the old cuckoo clock on the other side of the room.
"That late?" Harry asked, opening his eyes tiredly.
"You've been unconscious for the last couple of hours. You split your head against the desk… and what a sound it made!'" Ron said with a slight smile, sounding as if he was just narrating a Quidditch game.
If it was 15 minutes to midnight, it meant that the effects of the Philtrum Casses Amator potion were already passing.
"How long do I have to stay here?" Harry asked.
"Madam Pomfrey said that you had to stay the whole night. Your arm should be okay by morning, but she says she wants to make sure you don't have a concussion," Ron replied as he stood up from the chair and stretched languidly.
"Alright. I'll guess I'll see you in the morning," Harry said with a light wave of his good hand.
"Sure. Try to catch some sleep," Ron said with a yawn, patting Harry's arm.
Ron turned around and started walking away. The redhead was now out of sight, but Harry could still hear his footsteps in the room.
Ron's footsteps suddenly stopped, and Harry knew his best friend was still in the room. "Harry?" he heard Ron say hesitantly.
"What?" Harry mumbled.
"I'm sure Hermione wanted to be here more than anything else," Ron said. Leaving behind that simple thought, Harry heard Ron's footsteps as he finally left the hospital wing.
Harry was groggy; he didn't know what medication Madam Pomfrey had given him, but it had to have been something quite powerful. He took off his glasses and placed them on the night table.
And yet, he didn't feel like going to sleep. His guilt over his behavior since he had taken the potion and the pain he felt in his chest every time he remembered how excited Hermione was about going to the ball with Roger made for two very contradicting trains of thoughts that were colliding inside his tired mind.
'Just go to sleep, Harry. Tomorrow you are going to wake up and all this mess would have cleaned up by itself.'
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2 Hours Later
But sleep didn't come over Harry. Instead, he had spent the last two hours looking up at the ceiling, his good arm on his side, listening to the sound of his breathing and the occasional tapping of Madam Pomfrey's feet on the cold marble floor.
He pretended to be asleep every time she walked by his bed to check up on him. He had too many things in his mind to add an old lady who had a tendency for being excruciatingly over-protective… things like the growing headache that made his head feel like an overstuffed piñata.
He didn't pay attention to the footsteps that were growing louder, thinking it was just Madam Pomfrey coming to check up on him for the tenth time that night. Harry felt slightly uncomfortable by the attention, but it wasn't exactly because he didn't like the fact that someone was taking care of him… it was because that someone wasn't a certain brown-haired, brown-eyed witch with the warmest smile in Hogwarts.
'What the hell is wrong with me? I'm losing my bloody mind! The potion's effect is supposed to be subsiding. I am not supposed to be feeling this way anymore… or am I? Maybe Ron did something with his potion that makes it last longer. Bloody Ron! I'm going to strangle him in the morning…'
It wasn't until Harry heard a familiar female voice whispering nearby that his senses were completely jerked awake. Harry looked through the curtain around his bed and saw two outlines: a tall woman sitting behind a desk with an open book in her hands, and a shorter, but full-bodied young woman standing in front of her.
"What are you doing here so late, Ms. Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked briskly.
"I just finished my rounds. I was wondering if I could see my friend Harry before going to bed?" Harry heard Hermione say. He couldn't ignore how tired her voice sounded.
"He's sleeping," answered Madam Pomfrey, her voice softer than before. She knew of the special relationship between Harry, Hermione and Ron, and she knew that those three couldn't be kept away from each other for too long.
'That's it, good woman! Send her back to her room where she be… Wait, no! Her room is next to Roger's room and… oh, what the hell am I saying? I've gone bloody insane'.
"Oh, I understand. Can I see him for just a minute? I promise not to wake him up," Hermione pleaded. His heart sank until he could feel it in the pit of his stomach. She sounded very worried.
'How could I have doubted her?'
"All right, child. But just a minute," Madam Pomfrey said gently.
"Thanks," Hermione whispered. The next thing Harry heard were Hermione's footsteps coming his way.
'What am I going to do? Merlin, I want to see her so badly… But what will I say? How can I explain what I was doing without sounding like a bloody sod? I just can't go and tell her "Hermione, I drank the love potion in Snape's class and it made me fall in love with you, so I was spying on you on the library and that's why I fell. Now, let's go up to your room and start making us some babies" now, can I?
So Harry did what he thought any other guy would have done in his situation.
He pretended to be asleep.
The characteristic smell of lavender that seemed to accompany Hermione everywhere she went was mingled with the scent of drying blood. Harry opened his eyes just enough so he could watch Hermione through the curtain of his long lashes.
Hermione's hair was wilder than ever, fixed in a very shoddy ponytail. Her uniform was in no better condition… her previously white shirt was wrinkled beyond recognition, dried blood leaving a big stain near her chest. There was a smudge of dried blood on her left cheek. She looked exhausted and her alluring brown eyes were full of worry.
Harry had to use all of his self-control to resist the urge to wipe the smudge in her cheek with his coarse hand. It was almost offensive to see something like that marring her beauty.
He almost jumped when he felt her delicate hand gently touching his own. Thankfully, Hermione didn't notice, judging by the way she was softly speaking to him.
"Oh, Harry. Just what do you think you were doing?" she whispered, her voice sounding both annoyed and worried. It was a tone familiar to Harry, for she had used that same tone of voice countless of times with Ron and Harry.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose when he felt her fingers caress his unruly raven hair, moving it away from his forehead, tickling him slightly. With the tip of her finger, Hermione kindly touched the bump that had formed just over his scar.
"Well, it doesn't look as bad as it did when you fell…Harry, you scared me half to death!" Hermione said in a whisper. Harry felt as if he was going to explode when he felt her hand on his cheek. She lightly rubbed his cheek with her thumb with a gentleness Harry had never experienced before.
He wanted to smile; he found simply charming how she kept speaking to him, even when she thought he was asleep.
"Harry James Potter. What am I going to do with you? When you are not looking for trouble, trouble's looking for you," she said humorously, obviously relieved that her friend was recuperating well.
"I got to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered softly.
Harry felt a bolt of lighting run throughout his body when Hermione's lips planted a feather-light kiss on his forehead.
It wasn't until after Hermione exchanged goodbyes with Madam Pomfrey and left the room that Harry dare open his eyes.
He exhaled a breath of air he hadn't realized he had been holding.
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Sorry for the short chapter, but I promise more angst and heartbreak in the next! Please review and let me know how you like/dislike. And thanks to all the reviewers. I was overwhelmed!
Sweet: Now you know what happens. Hermione was too worried to be mad… but who knows what may happen after a good night's sleep?
Muse: Glad you enjoy the humor… I believe in finding comedy in every aspect of life. However, this story has a very dark side to it and a mystery that will have to be resolved… it has already started.
Muirnin: LOL If you want to kill Roger now, I can't wait to see what you want to do to the poor guy later.
Pottersgirl2003: Who says Hermione doesn't like Roger? Hehe I agree that is about time Hermione takes control of her love life. That girl won't disappoint!
JayaMioneDurron: LOL Again, Hermione was too worried to be mad. And I'm actually a big Krum fan, because he treated Hermione like she deserves to be treated. And I think, in canon, that Krum knows something about Hermione that no one else knows.
MelanieBlack: Yes, he indeed fell on them… thankfully, he landed on the desk, or there would be three people in the hospital tonight.
Anonymous 1: ^__^ Very glad to make you smile!
KypDurron: LOL. Why would Hermione change her mind? Harry didn't ask her to the ball, did he? ^_- And keep the faith in Ginny!
Kjm: Harry admits to the fact that he drank the potion? I think the poor guy is going to be too embarrassed.
MissLexiRe: Glad you liked the cliffie! It's good to have someone on my side when most of the readers wanted to strangle me.
Spaz141: Thanks for the kind words!
Nice: LOL Loved how you answered your own question. And I think Ginny would have slapped him if he had followed Hermione out the Great Hall.
Anonymous 2:Oh, I totally agree with the humor part. But this story has a bit of everything, and one of those things is angst. Hope you still enjoy it though!
Laurieisme1: LOL Poor girl needs some loving too!
Parvati_Patil: Interesting proposition… it just may happen. Heheh "Protect" indeed! And thankfully, Hermione was too busy screaming to notice Ron taking off the cloak and running toward them in his best "I'm-just-an-innocent-redhead" face.
Joogie: I LOVE Jealous!Harry… so you'll be getting plenty of him in this fic. And, ouch, sorry about the Harry hurting himself bit. Aw, but the Prissy Head Boy asked nicely! Let's see what happens, all right?
Davaca: LOL Another Rog fan, eh? And Hermione has her own reasons for saying yes… you'll see!
Nom_De_Plume: Thanks. I enjoy being evil. Glad you enjoy the chapter. Don't worry about goofball Harry… he's going to be a goofball for a long time. And Ron has a HUGE part in this story. I can't imagine a H/Hr story without Ron… he's too important for me AND for them to be left out.
SilverMoonlight: Hehe Glad you liked it. Thanks for the kind words!
Swimchick1614: Thankfully, Harry was spared having to answer… for now. Glad you enjoyed!
Musique: LOL I end it there because I love a good cliffie. And Hermione does have good reasons why she said yes. Oh, Canada? One of my best friends is from Ottawa. Who's Head Boy? That will be every reviewer favorite guy: Roger Davies. The same Roger that's taking our dear Hermione to the ball… ^_-
Anonymous 3: Hehe too bad the potion is wearing off… or is it? ^_-
Excalibur: Like I've said, Hermione has her reasons… just wait and see.
Caroline Delacour: LOL You had an OC like Roger? They are so much fun, aren't they? Oh, thanks for telling me I keep the characters IC… and if you ever think something they've done is OC, please tell me. In this fic, I want to be as true to JKR's vision as possible. And that last question… well, you'll have to wait and see.
Rekka: Hope I still have your interest! You want me to try to make the transition not too painful? But Painful = FUN! LOL
IssaBissa: Thanks for the encouragement!
ClairSeach: Hehe I agree Jealous!Harry is incredibly cute. And about Ginny… let's just say that she meddles in some things that should be meddled with.
AkJennyMay9: Hehe Harry gets plenty stupid in this story. I see the readers love to hate poor Roger. And I think if Harry has landed on Hermione, he would have probably sent her to the hospital. So no… although it would have been fun to see him squirm knowing the girl he was crushing after was on the bed next to his.
BenTheSlayer: ^__^ As you may have noticed, I'm a big fan of slapstick. Wait until tomorrow morning for Hermione's full reaction.
PilarMagic: Oh, thanks for that! Hope you liked the new chapter also!
Falling: I think the same way. I love Ron too much to pit him against Harry… although I'm afraid it may happen in canon.
Katakali: LOL He deserves it indeed. But everything in the right path for the couple next chapter? Oh no… long time to wait for that one!
Beppo: The potion's effects are supposed to last only eight hours. However, there are some things you can do to it to lengthened/shortened the timeframe.
Anonymous 4: I actually got the idea from a song called Caught in a Web in my CD player while my mother was listening to Love Potion No. 9 on the kitchen. It was as if lightning struck!
Holland Sauce: Basically, fanfic writers are sadists… ^_-
Peace,
Anasazi