Unofficial Portkey Archive

As Harry was kissing her Hermione thought that there couldn't be any better place. Harry began to deepen the kiss and slowly shifted his way on top of her. When they broke away for air Hermione searched in his eyes for the truth that she desperately sought and she found it, deep in his eyes. She leaned up and captured his lips, she felt his hands make their way down to her shirt so her hands went up into his hair, oh Merlin how she loved his hair. His hands snaked up into her shirt and she felt him pull it over her head, and for some reason she didn't protest. Instead her hands went to his shirt and pulled it over his head and admired his strong physique. She definitely loved Quiddich! They broke apart for air and suddenly she was brought back to reality, she was about to shag a guy she had been dating for a week. Harry leaned back in but Hermione pushed him back.

"No!" she said firmly picking up her shirt and putting it on over her head. When he looked at her in confusion she explained, "Harry, we've been dating for a week, I know we've known each other much longer, but I'm not ready for that step, at least not yet." She said handing Harry his shirt, "And besides what would happen if your parents walked in on us?" Hermione said pushing herself against the wall handing Harry his shirt. As Harry threw it over his head Hermione stood up and tried the door to find it unlocked. She looked back at Harry and threw the door open to come face to face with Sirius.

"About time, now come on!" Sirius said making the box vanish after Harry stepped out, "We have a long trip ahead of us!" They said turning to walk away from them. Harry looked at Hermione and they exchanged glances before running to catch up with the group.

"So where are we going?" Harry asked catching up with his parents. Lily looked at Harry.

"Well, we are going to go to the place the cave of Deception was last known to be." Lily said glancing at James. "Then hopefully once we get there we can find out how to access the cave, or get inside."

Hermione spoke up, "Yes, but Mr. and Mrs. Potter…"

"Lily and James, Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Potter make us sound so old!" James said cutting her off.

Hermione smiled, "Lily and James, why are we heading back towards Hogwarts?"

"Because the last known place where the caves were is close to Hogwarts and if we use the portkey to get back to Hogwarts it would be easier to access it, and quicker." James said hurrying up to catch up with Sirius and Remus. Hermione looked at Harry and ran up to talk to Lavender. Harry looked at his mother.

"But mum, where was the last known place, I mean if it's close to Hogwarts you'd figure most students know about it, and it would be a pretty popular place." Harry said.

"Ah, but see Harry Dumbledore is wise and he built something over it that would secure that no one got to the caves." Lily said looking at Harry.

"But, what…" Harry said confused.

"Harry, I don't know what you have been told about the grounds surrounding Hogwarts, but I'm not naïve enough to think that that blasted map and cloak haven't found its way into your hands. But there are things on surrounding areas of Hogwarts that may have initially been put there for specific purposes but they do have double meanings." Lily said pausing.

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"The shrieking shack Harry, it was placed there to hide the cave of Deception just as much to help hide Remus' condition."

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Once they arrived back at their former campsite they all decided to stop for the night and finish the next day. They set up their tents and Lavender and Hermione disappeared into them as soon as they were up. Lavender just stared at Hermione after she told her what happened, "You two almost…but…you stopped?" Lavender stuttered out.

"Of course!" Hermione said with a look of horror on her face. Lavender exhaled and looked at Hermione.

"You know, I really can't picture Harry and you, you know. I mean its hard enough picturing you two kissing or even seeing it, I mean, I may have gone to the Yule Ball with him, but I really can't picture him as an actual boyfriend." Lavender said laughing.

"Oh, and you think it's easy for me to see you and Ron, I mean Ron is like a brother to me." Hermione said staring at Lavender, "So, tell me, how are things between you and Ron?"

Lavender instantly brightened, "Oh they are great, guess what, he asked me to the Halloween Ball!" Hermione's face fell.

"Halloween Ball?" Hermione asked, "I didn't know we were having a Halloween Ball!" Hermione said trying to mask her disappointment, Lavender noticed.

"Yeah, a Masquerade Ball, didn't Harry ask you?" Lavender asked looking at her, "I mean I heard them talking about it, you know maybe he's waiting until the right moment!" Lavender said trying to make her feel better.

Hermione forced a smile, "Yeah maybe!"

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That night while everyone was sleeping Hermione was lying awake in her tent still thinking about the Masquerade ball. `Why hadn't Harry asked me?' Hermione thought. She still couldn't believe it, but her thoughts were interrupted by talking. Hermione sat up and looked at Lavender and Lily, they were both sound asleep, but she could hear talking. She crept outside her tent and saw a light glowing from the adult tent.

"James, think logically!" she heard Sirius say, "Thousands have tried to get that book and none have succeeded, what makes you think that were any different?"

"Because…we just are!" James said, "I have to believe that or else we won't make it!"

"Anyway, James talked to Harry about this; Harry says he and Hermione can do it, right James?" Remus asked

"Right, Harry said he talked to or would talk to Hermione and they'll do it!" James said in exasperation.

"Yes, but you so conveniently left out the fact that if we are wrong, if they are not the right couple they might die!" When Hermione heard this she took a step backwards making a twig break. Hermione immediately ran back to her tent and was back inside before they saw her. As she slipped back into her sleeping bag she couldn't believe what she heard. As she fell asleep that night she, for the first time since she found out about the Book of Deception, wished she hadn't.

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The next morning while Hermione was changing Harry and Lavender were discussing the events of the previous night.

"You forgot? YOU FORGOT?" Lavender said, "What do you think I am, twelve, I believe that you forgot about as much as I believe that Ron isn't hungry today!"

"I'm telling the truth, I truly did forget!" Harry said, "I had everything planned out, but then all this stuff got in the way." Lavender looked at him.

"You know, I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you forgot, but that doesn't mean you are off the hook, you have to promise me you'll ask her, this is hard on her Harry, not just you. So stop being the little boy that feels he has to protect her because she's a girl, be the boyfriend that she needs to get through this." Lavender said before turning around and going to find Ron. Harry turned towards Hermione's tent to see her getting out, she took out her wand and with a flick the tent was gone and she was walking towards Harry.

"Morning Harry!" she said kissing him on the lips. "Let's go, I'd just rather get this whole book thing sorted out and then we can go back to Hogwarts."

"Oh yeah the book, listen Hermione, there is something that you should know about the book…" Harry began.

"I know Harry, I heard your father, Sirius and Remus discussing it the other night." Hermione said quickly, "I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened, but there is something that you should probably know, the last people that tried to get the book died because they weren't the right people!" Hermione said looking him in the eyes.

"They died?" Harry asked, not believing his father didn't tell him.

"Yeah, I'm thinking that they just had conflicting interests in what was going to be done with the book or their love or evil wasn't pure. You know, I'm sure we can pull it off, I'm just kind of surprised that your parents aren't doing it." Hermione said, "Why is that?"

"I honestly don't know, there are still a lot of things about their past I don't know and there is still a lot about their death I don't understand." Harry said

"What do you mean," Hermione asked, "I thought they explained about their deaths and how they were brought back, it jus…"

"Just wasn't their time! I know I get that part but what did Dumbledore just say it's time and poof they were back, I don't think so. And I also think that there is more to Sirius' story than he's telling us." Harry said, "I just wish they would realize that we aren't children anymore."

"Hermione!" Lavender yelled from across the campground. Hermione sighed and picked up her backpack and threw it over her shoulder. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Then maybe we should start acting like adults." She whispered in his ear before turning and joining Lavender.

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Once they got back to the place where the portkey was they were all tired and there seemed to be a distance between them. The adults wouldn't talk to the children and the children were not making an effort to talk to them. Draco seemed to be the only one that noticed and it was driving him mad, "Okay stop, does someone wish to share with me what the bloody hell is going on?" Draco said harsher than he meant to. Everyone's eyes shot up and they all exchanged glances. "You all act as though we are going off to our doom, like the second we find these caves we will perish."

"Well we just might!" Hermione said stepping forward, "We wouldn't know would we because all of the adults don't feel we are responsible enough to know the truth," Hermione's gaze focused on James, "do we James?" James looked at Sirius.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he said defiantly

"Oh don't you?" Harry asked stepping forward only to be pushed back by Hermione.

"I know you've been keeping things about the Book of Deception a secret from us, the two people who have to retrieve it." Hermione said "I overheard you last night saying that if we aren't the two people which is possible we could be killed the instant we lay our hands on that book." Hermione finished, collective gasps were heard from Ron and Lavender, but more importantly Lily.

"Die?" Lily said turning to James, "James, no that can't be right, you're wrong, James tell her she's wrong." When James looked to his feet, "No, oh no, James you promised, no one would get hurt, you…YOU PROMISED!" she yelled. James stepped towards her and she stepped away. "So what else have you been hiding, huh? Not Harry, James, you understand, not Harry!" Lily said turning away from him.

"Lily, LILY!" he said grabbing her arm, "Lily it can't be anyone else that book cannot be touched by us, you know it, we have no choice!"

"WHY?" Harry yelled, "Tell us why you can't touch that book!"

Lily and James looked at each other, "Because we were brought back by dark magic!" Sirius said stepping forward to Hermione, "Hermione you are one of the cleverest witches of your age, you must have figured it out by now." Sirius said taking her by the shoulders, "You must have noticed all the small details, all the little clues." Hermione just stared into his eyes and saw the truth and slowly nodded. "Then you see why they can't take the book?" again she nodded, "Then you see that it must be you two?" she looked down and Sirius lifted her chin with his finger, "We had to keep it from you!"

"I know!" Hermione choked out.

"I don't understand!" Harry said stepping forward, behind Hermione. Hermione turned to face him, "What do they mean they were brought back?" Harry asked Hermione, she sighed.

"Well, ever since I found out your parents and Sirius were back I've been researching about raising the dead, and there are only limited people who can do it and only limited spells that bring them back right. If you didn't do them exactly right they had side-effects, bad side-effects. But the problem with these spells was not necessarily that they were difficult, they were probably no harder that making a Polyjuice potion, but they involved a lot of magic." Hermione said looking from Harry to Lily and James, "They involve both good magic and evil magic."

Lavender spoke up, "So I don't understand, you were brought back with good and evil, what's wrong with that, I mean we all have a little good and evil in us. Don't we?"

"True, but they were not brought back with that spell, you'd have to have an evil and good sorcerer performing the spell, it would be like having Dumbledore and Voldemort in the same room, it just wouldn't work. But another spell exists, a spell that can be used to be done by just evil or just good. But because it could be used by evil it was hidden and anyone who used it would be lucky if they got thrown into Azkaban. The spell was so scarcely talked of most just simply forgot, which was what the Ministry of Magic wanted." Hermione said, "But Dumbledore knew it."

"Dumbledore knew it? Dumbledore knew it and waited until now to bring them back?" Harry said.

"Harry, think about it, bringing people back from the dead, it's wrong, it's messing with fate, and Merlin knows I'm not one for Divination, but one doesn't tempt the fates." Hermione said.

"Okay, but why can't they get the book?" Ron asked stepping forward.

"Because that spell, the spell that brought them back was a very rare spell. It is one of four that are considered the unforgivable curses, but this one was ruled out because then people would simply never die. So it became the three unforgivable curses, but four were taken before it was lost." Hermione said, "The reason they can't touch the Book of Deception is because the spell, potion, curse, whatever you want to call it…was taken from the Book of Deception!"

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