*Faith*
Chapter 5, "Take Me"
By: RogueBHS
Author Notes: Ahh Portkey…Thank you to my wonderful reviewers ever so much! And also, I now have a beta, so this should be more eh…grammatically accurate and what not. LOL. Oh…and as proof I won't forget this any time soon…A friend of mine and I are working out details for a sequel provided this continues getting reviews like it is. Just FYI!
Also, I advertised that there would be a "mess in potions" occurring in Ch. 2. My mistake. LOL. That happens THIS chapter. I just got ahead of myself.
Notice: Yahoo's Metric Converter calculated all metric values. Any values that are wrong, I apologize ahead of time for. I will be posting the American equivalent in parenthesis at all times.
Also: If you see a lowercase letter in double parenthesis like this: ((a)), that means there is an Author note about that area of the chapter at the bottom. This is primarily for spells and such. Numbers in a double parenthesis are used to indicate songs when used in a chapter. Look at the end of the chapter for listings of such things.
Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Sabine Kington (OC), Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin and others…like Voldemort for instance. ;)
Couples: Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Draco, Dumbledore/McGonagall (hinted mostly), Harry/Hermione, Lavender/Ron/Luna and others.
Full Plot Summary: Most would think that with the OWLs over and done with, and NEWTS not being taken until the next school year, that Harry Potter would have an easy 6th year. But when you add up the loss of his godfather, the weight of the prophecy, harder classes, girl trouble, and the ever-looming threat of Voldemort and his followers…not to mention a changing group of friends, Harry's 6th year may well be the hardest yet. Oh yes…did I mention being ladies man???? (*giggle*)
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Chapter 5, "Take Me"
The steps to Dumbledore's office opened up to the main floor of Hogwarts, allowing a black haired young man and an older wizard to exit as they walked side by side. The older man was trying to comfort the younger, but to no avail. When they were close enough to a door leading outside, Harry broke away from the older wizard, taking off at a run towards the Great Lake. He paid no heed to the sound of Remus shouting for him to come back, or to the footfalls that soon echoed his own. Instead, he shoved a roll of parchment deep into his pockets and pushed his body into a full out sprint, leaving Remus to stare after him. It took him a while to reach the far side of the lake, but it was a place he was assured privacy for a time, and he sunk gratefully onto a fallen log.
For nearly an hour, his green eyes stared unseeingly at the ground in front of him, his mind running rampant with thoughts that he could make no sense of. Then the sound of someone approaching his haven broke through the daze, and he jerked alert, fingering his wand carefully.
"Oh honestly, Harry. Its just me."
Frowning, Harry watched as Hermione climbed over some low rocks and moved to stand near him. She's intruding, a part of him yelled, she has no right…No right… Yes she does, Harry thought forcefully. She helped me…she was there… She didn't talk about it with you though did she? The other voice jeered. That's his fault, not hers. Ron kept her from asking. And he's around you two all of the time is he? Well, no…Harry admitted, forcing his eyes to turn away from the worried ones of his best friend. But she cares…I know she does. Doesn't she?
What on earth is going on in that head of his? Hermione wondered, thoroughly worried about his lack of response to her arrival. Remus had warned that Harry might not be in a good mood, but she had risked his anger anyway, wanting to be here if he needed her. But now she was starting to think that perhaps she should have heeded Remus' advice to let Harry come to her.
"Go."
"What?"
Harry's green eyes turned back to her. "I said, GO!" He yelled the final word, a brief flash of anger sparking in his eyes.
Somewhat unsure now, Hermione took a step back. "Harry…"
"Just go!"
His eyes turned away again, and Hermione frowned. "I just…" She stumbled over the words, brown eyes tearing just a little at this sudden outburst. Then, without warning, she spun on her heal and went running back the way she had come, leaving him alone.
See, she doesn't care, the voice jeered again. Yes, she does, Harry insisted. She wouldn't have kissed me all those times other wise. Oh big deal…she kissed you. Perhaps she was imagining it was someone else. She wouldn't…are you sure? Yes I…Bloody hell, what am I doing, arguing this with myself? Who said I'm you?
Harry's head jerked up, his eyes wide. Voldemort? A crude laugh echoed in his brain. Very good, Potter. I was wondering how long it would take you to put the pieces together. Very interesting fact by the way, the fact that you've fallen for a mudblood. So much like your father, aren't't you, Potter? I'm nothing like him! Oh really now? It would seem I've touched a sore spot. Leave me alone! Now why would I do that, Potter? This is MY head! My thoughts! GET OUT!
There was a sharp pain in his scar, and then Harry felt himself falling from the log he was seated on as Voldemort was forced from his mind quickly. He wasn't quite sure how long he lay there on the cool ground, letting his body and mind recover from the sudden attack, but by the time he found the strength to pull himself back up, the sky above was darkening considerably. Great…with my luck, Dumbledore has the entire school out looking for me, Harry thought as he pushed his way past a few trees. Though I suppose I really shouldn't have strayed this far to begin with. His eyes lifted to the clear sky above, currently hued in multiple shades of pinks, oranges, yellows and purples, with a dark blue slowly stretching to cover it all up. A few stars were starting to show against the dark blue, with a quarter moon completing the picture. Merlin it's a good night. Perfect night for sneaking out with a girl, actually. He started to wonder what Hermione might think of him sneaking her out of the tower, and then realized she was likely more than a little angry with him now.
Damn you, Voldemort, Harry thought bitterly, though hoping the dark wizard couldn't hear. I guess I should go apologize and what not. And with that in mind, Harry strode closer to the school, only to see a good many people heading his way. Ahh…the search party, he thought with a laugh. I figured as much. There was a shout, and then a figure broke away from the others, sprinting towards him, hair flying out behind her. Though the scene reminded him more than a bit of what happened at Kings Cross earlier that year, he didn't focus on it. Instead, he opened his arms wide and let Hermione crash into him, and then wrapped his arms tight around her.
"I'm sorry, Mione," he whispered in her ear, then raised his eyes to those who were coming closer. In the light of Hagrid's huge lantern, Harry could see the forms of Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape, as well as Remus Lupin. None of them looked too pleased at his being out so late. But in the features of Remus, Dumbledore and McGonagall, he found a sort of relief, and realized with a start that they had truly been worried about him. He gave Hermione a final squeeze, then moved her to his side, prepared to deal with the consequences of staying away so late…Well, I didn't exactly mean to, now did I?
"Harry," Remus' voice cut through before Harry's thoughts could continue, "thank Merlin you're ok." And before Harry could register what the werewolf intended, he was given a brief hug. "But what on earth were you thinking?"
Harry bowed his head for a moment, and then glanced up at the professors. "I didn't mean to stay away. I just…"
"We all know how you love to break the rules, Potter," Professor Snape broke in. "So please, spare us any excuses."
Harry's eyes flashed and he raised his head to meet Snape's gaze head on. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, voice full of venom. "I just had a nice chat with your master, and it rather tired me out."
The effect of that sentence was more than attention getting. Professor McGonagall and Hermione both gasped, taking a step away in surprise. Remus reached out, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder, as if to check that this was still his godson. But the sneer on Snape's face did little to hide the sudden fear that clouded his dark eyes. Beside him, Hagrid was staring wide-eyed at Harry, and Dumbledore just considered the boy for a moment.
"You had a conversation with Voldemort, Harry?"
"Yeah," he snapped, a feeling of anger sweeping through him. "Now if you don't mind, I'm kinda tired. Good night."
The others watched him stride purposefully towards the castle for a moment, and then Hermione again broke away from the group, taking off after her best friend at a run.
"Harry!"
He didn't look back, didn't even acknowledge that he heard her in any way.
"Damn it, Harry, SLOW DOWN!"
No…I don't want to talk, damn it. Just leave me alone! When is she going to learn that I'm dangerous? He knows…he knows about how I feel for her. Shit this is a mess. I can't protect her all of the time, and he'd kill her in an instant, just to get to me. It was bad enough when I only thought of her as a friend, but now? Merlin, I might as well have painted a big bull's-eye on her and pushed her right in his path. What was I thinking? Oh wait…I wasn't thinking. I was feeling…I have definitely got to stop doing that. It only ever ends with me or someone I care about in trouble. Like him…
Harry didn't slow down until he had reached the portrait hole for Gryffindor tower, and it was then he realized this was the first place she'd look. His feet set off on another course barely a second later, and he followed the familiar path up to the owlery, deciding to pay Hedwig a visit. Hopefully Hermione wouldn't check for him there.
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By the time the next morning had dawned, Harry still hadn't returned to Gryffindor tower, and even Ron was starting to worry about him since the Marauders' Map was missing too. It wasn't like Harry to stay away from the tower overnight unless he was in the hospital wing, but given that Madam Pomfrey hadn't alerted anyone, they knew he hadn't checked himself in so-to-speak. So yet again, the castle was searched for him, including the Room of Requirement, but to no avail. Just as Dumbledore was about to stand up and make a request that whomever had seen Harry that morning, if anyone, would tell a professor, Harry walked through the doors into the Great Hall, dressed in fresh robes and his bag slung on his shoulder. Hermione didn't fight her impulse, and yet again, found herself hurrying to him, wondering where he'd been all night. Since most of the school was unaware of his disappearance, Hermione's actions drew a good bit of attention, but she didn't care. He was all right, and that's what mattered.
"Never, ever, ever do that again," she whispered forcefully as she hugged him, lingering over it just a second longer than was necessary. "You had us all worried," she informed him, this time in a more normal volume, but still soft enough to prevent eavesdroppers from overhearing.
"Sorry," he said, keeping his eyes focused on her rather than the rest of the hall. "I just needed time alone."
Hermione snorted softly, drawing an amused glance from Harry as she pulled him towards where she had been sitting. "A whole night of it outside of the tower? What were you thinking?"
Harry frowned slightly. "Its not like I meant to. I just fell asleep…elsewhere."
"And that makes it alright then?" Ron questioned, turning his blue eyes to his friends as they sat down.
Harry looked up sharply, surprised to see Ron there. "I didn't say that."
Ginny sighed, nudging her brother when she saw he was about to start pressing buttons. When he looked to her, she shook her head from side to side slightly, encouraging him to keep silent just this once. Once her brother complied, she looked back to Harry. "I'm just going to say this, big brother: don't do it again if you can help it. You had Remus about ready to go spare over you missing, convinced it was partially his fault. I think Madam Pomfrey had to sedate him last night so that he'd sleep. If you don't wanna talk about what's bothering you, fine. But don't go running off, ok?"
Harry winced when she mentioned Remus' reaction, and he lowered his eyes from hers. "Look, I just…I needed to be alone, and I was tired. I don't know what they told you about what happened yesterday at lunch, but it wasn't pleasant ok?"
"They didn't tell us anything, Harry. I think that Professor Dumbledore told McGonagall, Hagrid and Snape, but that's it. He said it was up to you to talk to us, and it wasn't his place to do so for you," Hermione informed him.
Relief spilled through him at the fact that no one had talked for him, but at the same time, he half wished they had. Talking about it made it real…more real than it had been all summer. And that was something he wasn't sure he could deal with. No longer hungry, but knowing Hermione would have a fit if he didn't eat anything, he added butter and jam to a piece of toast. It took him a good few minutes to eat it, seeing as it didn't even sound good, but the relief on Hermione's face was enough to make him grab a couple of pieces of bacon too. Standing, he slid his bag onto his shoulder, then glanced at his friends. "Look, I'm gonna walk around. I'll see you in Potions, ok?" The last was directed at Hermione, and she nodded, happier now that he wasn't avoiding her altogether.
"Sure, Harry." She flashed him a smile, then turned back to her own breakfast, obviously hoping to catch up with him shortly.
"Oh, and Ron…"
The redhead looked up from his overfilled plate, surprised at being addressed. "Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Ron was more than confused, but he shrugged and grinned, glad that things were slowly returning to normal. "Whatever, mate."
Harry nodded and returned the grin, then with a brief wave to Ginny and Neville, he walked out of the great hall and headed towards the Potions class, taking his time about it. And, as he'd suspected, Hermione caught up with him before he even reached the classroom door. Because he wasn't in the mood to discuss what had happened the day before, as she'd likely want to, he reached out, pulling her to him. A brief glance and a perimeter charm later, Harry moved them both out of the general line of sight in a small nook off the dungeon hallway, then proceeded to kiss her. But this wasn't how he normally kissed her. The previous times he had kissed her, no matter how much need he poured into them, he kept the kisses more gentle. This kiss was anything but gentle. Instead, he pushed her hard into the stone wall, and crushed his lips against hers with a bruising intensity.
To Hermione, it was obvious he just wanted to forget something for now, and so long as he talked about it later, she had no problem being the one to help him forget. So she arched into him, allowing the kiss to deepen. The first feel of his tongue at her lips almost had her pulling back in surprise. He'd yet to ask that of her, but if that's what he needed…then that's what he'll get. And so she allowed this new intrusion, having never even allowed Ron to come this far. Don't think about him…only Harry…my Harry…
Barely three minutes later, Harry's head snapped up, rudely ending their rather pleasant mini snog session. Curious, Hermione stayed quiet, wondering what had caused him to halt so abruptly. Then, the sound of people coming down the stairs into the dungeon registered, and she glanced to Harry again. How on earth did he hear them so fast? She wondered, watching as he stepped away from her. He gave her a sheepish grin, then ducked out of the nook they were in, straightening his school robes as he did so. Smiling, she fixed her own appearance as best she could without a mirror, then moved to join him in front of the Potions classroom. The door opened suddenly, and the students filed in, quite used to this whole procedure by now. Pairing off into the groups Snape had assigned them, the rows of seats were only half filled when the Potions master swept into the room as was his custom.
"Today we'll begin the brewing of Veritaserum. It is a very difficult potion, and I doubt all of you will succeed in making it properly." He swept his gaze over Neville and Harry pointedly, making it clear it was them whom he felt would fail. But then again, Neville was paired with Hermione, and there was no way that she'd allow them to get less than an E on the potion. Harry, however, was paired with Draco Malfoy, and though the blonde Slytherin had been decent enough so far, there was no telling when he would go back to being his usual self.
"The instructions," Snape said as he waved his wand to the board behind him," are on the board. This potion will take us the rest of the month to complete. So when you have finished the instructions on the board, you may leave." And with that, he turned abruptly and took a seat behind his desk.
Glancing at Draco, Harry sighed and pulled out a piece of parchment, then wrote down the directions quickly. After double checking they were correct, he was about to ask Draco to help him get the ingredients, only to find that he had been beaten to the punch so to speak, and Draco was already standing at the cabinets, waiting. Sighing, Harry joined his partner in the line, and glanced ahead at Hermione who was handing a bottle of something to Neville. She caught his eye and smiled briefly, then turned back to Neville when he spoke.
"What's with you and Granger?"
Startled by the question, Harry looked at Draco as if he had grown a second head. "What do you mean?"
The blonde boy rolled his eyes, then glanced between the two. "She suddenly breaks up with the Weasel, and now you two are never out of the other's company? Rather suspicious."
"What do you care, Malfoy?"
Smirking, Draco shook his head. "If you don't know what I'm getting at, Potter, then maybe I should be the one making our potion. As for why I care…well…lets just say I like to watch Weasley loose."
Frowning, Harry rolled his eyes. "I may not be Hermione, but I can still brew a potion, Malfoy. So lets get this started alright?"
"Agreed."
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The class was nearly over, and a good portion of the students were now adding the final ingredient of the day, when a sudden explosion happened right there in the room. As it turned out, Pansy Parkinson's cauldron was what had exploded, leaving the dungeon classroom littered with pieces of iron and what little remained of her potion. Practically seething with rage, Snape marched towards the Slytherin girl's table, wand out.
"Just what did you think you were doing, Miss Parkinson?" Snape asked, for once not blaming another house. After all, Pansy was paired with Millicent Bulstrode, and there were only Ravenclaws and one other Slytherin around her, none of who would have messed up this potion so easily. Still pointing his wand at her, Snape quickly assessed the damage, noticing that a few of the closer potions were now contaminated with the iron and messed up potion.
"Thanks to you, half the class will now half to restart the entire assignment." A groan went up from those around her who had been brewing the potion fine. "I think a detention for you both might teach you a lesson." Frowning, he glanced around again, and noticed some of the potion on the robes of some of the other students. "Class dismissed, and I would highly recommend you all change your robes. I won't have your heads of houses coming to me if that potion comes in contact with your skin and has some adverse affect."
Grumbling, the class packed up their things and filed out, leaving Pansy and Millicent to be dealt with. There was a good fifteen minutes until the next classes began, but to have to return to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw towers to change and still get to class on time? That would prove nearly impossible. However, the threat of the unknown potion had quite a few students hurrying to their dorms to change. Three took it slower than the rest, and as such, were left behind in the dungeon hallway as the others dashed up stairs. Harry ushered Hermione towards the stairs, having noticed a bit of potion on the arm of her robes, then paused to look back at Draco who was taking his time as well.
"Hey, Malfoy."
Draco looked up from his bag, surprised at being addressed. "What?"
"Thanks."
Confused, Draco nearly questioned Harry on what he meant, but then shrugged it off. "Whatever you say, Potter."
Smirking, Harry turned and dashed off to rejoin Hermione, leaving Draco to his thoughts. I really think scar head's lost it if he's thanking me for something, Draco thought, glancing back toward the stairs that led into the main part of the castle. But she'd want me to play nice…so I guess that's what I'll be doing. Thinking of his girlfriend, Draco let a smile curve his lips. Maybe I can convince her to take a walk later…and do a little snogging.
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As the final class of the day let out, Hermione packed up quickly, glancing across the room to where Harry had been forced to sit. Dumbledore had partnered everyone up for duels, and much to her disbelief, she and Harry hadn't been paired. Instead, Harry had been placed with Blaise Zabini, one of Draco's dorm mates, and she had been placed with Susan Bones. Ron, on the other hand, had managed to be paired with fellow Gryffindor and dorm mate, Seamus. The duels had gone fairly well, with those who were in the DA winning a good percentage of the time. Granted, they had only got through the first half of the students in the class. The duel between Ron and Seamus had taken the longest, running a full fifteen minutes in length, much to some people's surprise. But Hermione wasn't that shocked about it really. Ron had never been of the same skill as Harry or herself in actual spell work, but he had the power to be better than he was. Just try convincing him of that though.
Glancing back in Harry's direction, Hermione was startled to find he wasn't there. Standing up straight, she looked around the entire room, only to find him up at the front, deep in discussion with Professor Dumbledore. Smiling, she slid her back onto her shoulder and moved to the door to wait for him. But he had noticed her movement, and waved her on. The smile turned into a frown as he turned back to the headmaster, returning immediately to the discussion. Nevertheless, she turned and headed out of the door, wondering what on earth was going on with him today. He's so back and forth and back and forth all of a sudden, she thought. I mean, he's been so normal all year thus far, and now…Hermione glanced over her shoulder at the classroom, then heaved a sigh as she headed upstairs to drop off her book bag before dinner. If he doesn't talk to me about whatever is going on by tomorrow night, I honestly think I'll be about ready to corner him about it. He's already told me the prophecy, so it's not like he wouldn't come to me if it was that. Which means it's something else…something just as big, perhaps, that's bothering him.
Wait a second…Hermione stopped dead in the hall as something occurred to her. How on earth did I not realize this sooner? She wondered, then turned back towards the Defense classroom, looking for Harry. I guess Ron's badgering me not to talk about it went further than I thought. I mean, he lost Sirius! It has to have something to do with that, it just has to. I doubt anything else would affect him like this. Merlin, how could I have been so blind?
Her thoughts were cut short when she saw Harry heading for her, and she forced a smile when his eyes found her. He seemed surprised to see her there, but he hurried his stride, and caught up with her quickly.
"Decided to wait for me anyway, hmm?" he questioned, glancing down at her as they both started walking back to Gryffindor tower.
"I just thought of something, and so I stopped, rather than trip over everyone. Then I saw you headed this way, so…" Hermione let the sentence hang, and looked up to him, studying his face. The fire in them that had seemed so bright all year was now dimmer, she realized, clouded by sadness and a touch of guilt. "Harry…I…uh…"
His green eyes turned back to her curiously. "Yes?"
"I'm not really that hungry, and I kind of wanted to talk to you. If that's ok, I mean."
He shrugged, then looked to the portrait entrance to Gryffindor tower. "Canary Cream," he said, then motioned for Hermione to go ahead of him. "I'm a little hungry," he added, picking up the conversation again, "but if you wanna talk, then we can always grab something from the kitchens. I haven't been by to see Dobby yet anyway."
Nodding, Hermione glanced around, noticing that there were quite a few people lounging in the common room, then looked back to Harry. "Somewhere a little more private perhaps?"
He smirked at her, but nodded. "Hang on one sec. I need to get something from my trunk." He was halfway to the stairs when he glanced over his shoulder at her. "You are allowed up here, you know."
Smiling, she hurried to catch up, and joined him just as he pushed open the door to the boy's dorms. He dumped his books out of his bag and onto the bed, then opened his trunk, placing them inside before pulling out the invisibility cloak and map. "Just in case," he told her. Then he dug deeper, and pulled out two paper-wrapped packages and placed them in his bag with the cloak and map. Ignoring Hermione's confused look, he closed the lid and then after grabbing something from his nightstand, smiled at her. "Alright. Room of Requirement you think?"
"That will do," she agreed.
He nodded, then kissed her briefly on the lips, surprising her. But he gave no explanation, and instead, lead her from the dorm just as Ron was heading up to drop off his bag. He glanced briefly at the two, raising an eyebrow.
"Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, neither of us is that hungry, and it's kinda loud downstairs. So we're just going to take a walk around for a while," Harry said, watching Ron closely for signs of anger.
"Oh. I'd offer to tag along, but I've got detention with Filch tonight. He swears he saw me running in the halls, even though I wasn't. And when I went to McGonagall, she said that if I got one more detention, I'd loose the prefect badge. Didn't ask if I was actually running or not, just bloody well assumed Filch was right."
Hermione gave the most sympathetic smile she could, despite still not being happy with him. She was fully aware of how unfair Filch could be. "Sorry about the detention and all, Ron. But we'll catch up with you later maybe, ok?"
Ron nodded, then waved them goodbye as he continued up the stairs to the dorms. When he was gone, Harry glanced at Hermione. "I wonder if he'll be able to keep from getting another detention. He loves that badge, but…"
Hermione nodded, then pushed the portrait open so they could exit into the hall. "Guess we'll have to find out the hard way. And so will he if he gets another detention. McGonagall still hasn't forgiven him for starting that fight with you in the middle of the great hall, I don't think."
"Well, I wasn't exactly innocent in that one, now was I?"
"No, but he did start it, and continued to provoke you. You would have stopped sooner if he hadn't started in on me."
"That's true enough. I still can't believe he punched me though," Harry said, rubbing a hand over his nose thoughtlessly.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the gesture, and glanced at him. "Neither could anyone else, Harry. Neither could anyone else."
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Once in the room of requirement, Harry sank into a plush black couch, letting his bag set on the floor, and looked up to Hermione. She gave the room a once over, not surprised at the amount of black coloring used this time. Obviously Harry's feelings of guilt and sadness had influenced the room more than she realized they could. Shaking that off, she sat down next to him. He wasn't satisfied with that arrangement, and pulled her into his lap, then let his eyes meet hers.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Gathering her courage, Hermione bit at her lip idly. "Well…actually…if you don't mind and all…"
He raised an eyebrow. "If I don't mind what?"
Sighing, she looked away for a moment, then back to him. "I kept trying to talk to you about this last year, but Ron always convinced me to stay quiet about it. And well…" Unused to stumbling over words, she grew frustrated. "I know you were close to Sirius Harry, and I know that you miss him. But…you never talk about it. Ever. That can't be healthy."
Harry frowned, averting his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Harry," she pleaded, "don't do this." She placed a hand along his jaw and turned his face back to hers. "I just want to help."
Anger built just under the surface and showed clearly in his eyes. Abruptly, he lifted her from his lap and set her onto the other part of the couch, then stood and began to pace rather like a caged lion. "I know you want to help, Mione. I do. But I can't do this." He reached into his pocket and threw a roll of parchment in her general direction before resuming his pacing. "I got that yesterday at lunch, courtesy of Dumbledore. Seems he felt it was time I move on, too." He walked to a wall, slamming his fist into it hard, and the resulting hole had Hermione staring before she remembered the parchment. Lifting it, she carefully unrolled it, then read the title; Last Will and Testament of Sirius Black.
That explained it all, she realized. The temper, the solitude. Harry was in no way ready to read something like this, and yet Dumbledore had obviously forced it upon him. Setting the parchment aside, she rose and went to him, ignoring the way he was nursing the hand that he had hit the wall with. His eyes looked to her, and an eyebrow rose in silent question again. Then, she did something he hadn't expected. She hugged him. He had been expecting her to agree with Dumbledore, to say he should move on. But instead, her first response was to hug him. Anger quieting, Harry wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back fiercely, burying his face against her neck.
She said none of the usual words of comfort that are offered at the death of a loved one, said none of the meaningless phrases that were meant to help. Instead, she held on to him just as fiercely. They stood there for only five minutes, clinging to each other, but to them, it could have been longer or shorter and they wouldn't know the difference. Shyly, Harry pulled back some and looked down at the girl in his arms. In any other situation, having her so close would have resulted in a hell of a snogfest, but not this time. There was something just as intimate about this sharing of emotion and grief that Harry didn't even pretend to understand. All he knew was that there was no person in the world he'd have shared such a moment with, other than Hermione.
Seeing him lost in thought as he looked at her, Hermione smiled just a bit, then leaned up, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek, effectively drawing his attention back to the real world.
"Better?"
Harry only nodded, but he leaned forward again, resting his forehead against hers. "Yeah." The barest hint of a smile worked its way onto his lips. "Thanks to you."
Blushing lightly, Hermione waved it away, then settled her arm back around his neck. "If you want to talk about it, you know I'm here, right?"
"Of course," he answered. Then, feeling the slow rush of physical attraction building again, he gently nuzzled her neck, earning him a soft sigh of surprise. "But I have something for you, actually. I meant to give you this at your birthday, but I forgot." And before he acted on his attraction to her again, he removed his arms from around her and moved away. Knowing he had her undivided attention, he took a seat on the couch again, and motioned for her to join him. While she sat, he pulled the two paper wrapped packages from his bag on the floor, setting them in his lap as he turned to face her.
"Last year, at Christmas, Sirius gave me something so that if Snape abused his eh…privileges, during the Occlumency lessons, I could let him know. But I was too afraid of luring him out of Grimmauld Place to think of using them. In fact, I swore never to use it," he said, a hint of guilt seeping back into his eyes. "Little did I know, he had this with him when I tried contacting him via Umbridge's floo." Harry handed her one of the packages, and watched while she unwrapped it, revealing a square compact-like piece in black lacquer. "Open it," he told her, green eyes still watching her every move. Slowly, she found the clasp on it, and pushed the compact open, revealing a mirror on one side, and the name "Padfoot" engraved into silver on the other side. Her brown eyes raised to his in question, and he showed her the engraving in his own compact. It said simply, "Prongs." Realization dawned, and she looked between the two mirrors.
"These were your dad and Sirius'? "
Harry nodded, then pulled out his wand, pointing it the compact in his hand. "They're a way to communicate. Dad and Sirius would use it when they got Detentions or whatever." He looked at her. "Remus showed me how to work them when he dropped by Privet Drive near the end of summer."
"Does he have one too then?"
"No. But he'd borrow one sometimes if he was in the hospital wing after a transformation or something."
Hermione glanced at him. "You…You're giving me this?"
He nodded again, pushing his wand back into his pocket without using it, then took one of her hands in his. "This way we can talk over the summer or whatever. Or at night, or whenever, actually." He let go of her hand, moving it to cup her chin instead, and allowing his green eyes to bore into hers. "You're the only person I'd give one of these too…because I know you'll take care of it." Hermione was clearly touched, and so rather than risk having a very emotional female on his hands, he went for a bit of humor. "'Sides, I reckon you're the only person who'd ever want to talk to me that bad, really."
Shaking her head in amusement, but still recovering from the gift, she looked at him. "Just what am I supposed to do with you, anyway?"
Harry raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I can think of a few things."
"Harry," Hermione said as she laughed. "Sometimes I swear you're nothing more than a typical guy."
The grin turned to a smirk as he leaned towards her again, setting the mirror aside. "As if you'd have it any other way."
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October 23rd, 1996 -
Wednesday dawned bright and full of cool breezes that enticed the students and teachers alike, making skipping class seem like a worthwhile adventure. But no matter how much anyone wanted to be outside, the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was approaching, and with it, the first Quidditch match as well. That meant studying was crucial if you intended to be able to stroll the wizarding village at your leisure or attend the much talked about Slytherin versus Gryffindor mach. And so a good many students stayed cooped up in the library and classrooms, despite the weather. There were some that gave into the impulse to spend time outside, including the Gryffindor trio, who according to rumor, were finally starting to spend time as a threesome again.
Near the lake, shaded by a huge tree, Harry, Ron and Hermione were all bent over assignments, enjoying this rare burst of warmer temperatures, knowing that sooner than they'd necessarily would like, they'd be bundled up against the cold of winter. With Halloween so close, Ron was finding it progressively harder to keep his mind on studies, and in true form, tossed his quill aside and moved into a sitting position, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Tilting his face to the dappled sunlight, Ron ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "Man, this is a good day to be playing Quidditch."
To Ron's left, Hermione rolled her eyes and glanced to Harry as he pushed off of his stomach and rolled to lay on his back, head resting on the book he had been reading.
"This is a good day for just being out, Ron," Harry corrected, stretching his arms out over his head, conveniently brushing Hermione's calf in the process as she sat Indian style barely a food and a half from him, putting her in the middle of the two boys. Casually, he glanced at her as his fingers brushed her leg again, flashing a brief grin at her wavering concentration. "Come on, Hermione. Take a break with us. Merlin knows you're farther ahead than Ron or me."
Ron glanced at Hermione when Harry asked this of her, wondering if she'd comply with his wishes, then at a prodding glance from the raven-haired boy, he reached over and nudged her playfully on the arm. "Yeah, Hermione. You've been working longer than either of us all week!"
Looking between her boys, one who was fast returning to friendship status, and the other who was her best friend and possibly so much more, and lost the battle with a smile that threatened. White teeth gleaming as she returned Ron's nudge, using her book instead of hand, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright. But you two better plan on us resuming studying soon."
Harry rolled onto his left side, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Is that so, Miss Granger?"
There was a playfulness to his tone that belied the fact that only a week ago he had suffered another bought of depression from his godfather's death. So Hermione leaned forward, ruffling his hair as she grinned. "Yes, that's so," she said matter-of-factly, a sparkle in her cinnamon eyes.
Not wanting to be left out, Ron looked to Harry. "What do you reckon? Tickle attack?" he questioned, grinning broadly.
Taking in Hermione's now defensive posture, Harry nodded to Ron. "Definitely."
"No!" Hermione screeched, but it was pointless. The boys had each picked a side and were now tickling her mercilessly, causing her to laugh and scream. None of them paid any attention to the fact that more and more of those outside were turning to look their way, especially as Hermione screamed out "Ron! Harry! STOP IT!" before bursting into giggles. Classmates and teachers alike watched with amusement as the trio played, some laughing when Hermione exacted her revenge by casting a tickling charm on both boys when she could finally get her hands on her wand. But Harry managed to end both spells after getting his own wand out, and then grabbed Hermione in a bear hug as she scrambled to her feet, planning on fleeing the scene. Hermione squealed again, then started kicking when Ron joined again, tickling her as Harry kept her arms pinned to her sides and unable to reach her wand as it clamored to the ground.
It was a good fifteen minutes later before the tickle war ended with the trio in a pile. Harry rested on the ground, arms behind his head, while Hermione was stretched out on him, her head resting on his stomach. One of her hands was playing idly with the chain of the necklace she had given Harry around his neck, while the other was held loosely in a grip by Ron. The redhead had landed neatly with his head resting against Hermione's thigh, his free arm draped across his own stomach. There was a brief flash of light somewhere nearby, but the trio didn't budge, as they figured Colin Creevey had snapped a photo of someone close to them. The only real movement for another while was four minutes after the photo when Harry reached down, stroking his fingers through Hermione's hair while the three conversed quietly.
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A/N: OK, that seems like a good stopping point for now. This way I can post it before Friday when I leave for the weekend. So no working on fanfics for me for three days. LOL. Sorry! Oh, and no songs or spells or anything actually included in this chapter. Maybe next time. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!
Up Next: Trip to Hogsmeade, Quidditch Match, and a nasty surprise for everyone's favorite Boy Who Lived.