His Heart's Most Basic Desire

Disclaimer: Nope…still not mine!

A/N: This is a response to the `My Angel' challenge set by the wonderful Mycha_kk. I love this challenge and because I love it so much I've been having trouble writing it…weird, I know. She wanted it done as a one-shot unless we were sure we would finish it. Well, I'm sure that I will finish it so I'm posting it in two parts. I hope to have the rest up soon.

Although I know you can check out the Challenges forum to view the challenge, I'm not going to post the rules until the end because I don't want to give away what's supposed to happen…sorry, I have to make you work for it if you want to know! LOL Part 2 should be up soon though…it's over halfway written.

I hope you enjoy it….

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His Heart's Most Basic Desire

Part 1

Harry's hands worked feverishly as images of her, like pieces of a puzzle, flashed to the forefront of his mind. With only fragments appearing before him he could not yet identify her face; he knew only that she was a part of him…a part longing to be recognized. He had long since given up conscious thought, choosing instead to trust his hands to his heart. And so now he stood; a mere vessel…carving, scraping, and brushing the ice in a fervent effort to discover what, in the words of Professor Dumbledore, could only be described as his heart's most basic desire.

He still could not be sure how it had come to this…how he had found himself here; sculpting a block of ice with the practiced, meticulous precision of someone who had been doing it for a lifetime. His only truth was that something hidden somewhere within the deep, dark recesses of his mind was guiding him…begging him for release.

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Flashback

The sorting ceremony was no different from any other. The sorting hat sang a new song and nervous first years were being sorted into their houses.

It was Harry's sixth year and unlike previous years he was finding it difficult to pay attention. He clapped unknowingly when the others around him clapped and he sat quietly when they sat quietly. His current distraction was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Harry was particularly close to Dumbledore and he could tell, even from where he was sitting, that Dumbledore was anxious for his moment to speak. It wasn't often one got the opportunity to see him excited, but there was no mistaking it as Harry watched him curiously, wondering what exactly was in store for them.

The sorting ceremony ended and Harry waited patiently as Dumbledore prepared to speak, “Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “welcome to another year at Hogwarts. First, I have a special announcement to make. In light of the events with which we ended last school year, your professors and myself have decided to start the year off with a little excitement, something a little…different. It brings me great pleasure to announce to you that this winter a competition will take place here at Hogwarts.” Excited whispers began to fill the hall and Dumbledore waited a moment before continuing, “This is a special, unique competition,” he paused as the whispers began to grow louder, “would you care to hear the details or would you prefer to speculate a while longer?” he asked smiling back at the excited the students.

“Let us here it then,” someone shouted. Follow by more shouts of, “Yeah, let us hear it!”

Dumbledore placed his hands in the air, “All right, all right, very well,” he said chuckling softly, “it will be an ice carving competition.”

Another round of fervent whispers filled the Great Hall.

“Ice carving, as some of you may well be aware, is the art of taking an ordinary block of ice and sculpting it into something unique. When you begin many of you will see just a block of ice, however,” he paused and raised his hand dramatically, “the key to ice sculpting is to look beyond that which you see before you. If you pause, take a step back and allow your heart to speak, your subconscious mind will determine what you make of it,” he stated looking around at the students. Harry felt Dumbledore's gaze rest on him for what felt like a moment too long before he once again addressed the students. “This will not be a house competition; it has been designed to promote a healthy blend of competition and school unity. It shall be open to all students who wish to participate either individually or as part of a group. Based upon the number of participants there will the potential for several categories, such as…

Most unique

Most inspirational

Best display

Most beautiful

Best group sculpture

And, for those of you who might be interested in participating while not actually putting forth the effort, we will include a category for you as well…poorest showing, perhaps? Sounds a bit better than most hideous, does it not?” he said laughing along with many of the students.

“The competition will commence the second week in December and your professors and myself will begin the judging just prior to the start of the holidays. If you wish to enter you must do so no later than 10^th December as to ensure we have a sufficient amount of ice. This will give you plenty of time to decide whether or not to enter and to form your teams should you decide not to participate in the individual category,” he said. “We strongly encourage,” he added looking around at all of them once more, “you to use as little magic as possible as some things are best left to your senses … allow yourself to see and feel what you are creating, listen to your heart, for it is there that you will find all the magic you will need. It is quite possible that through these actions you find that you have discovered your heart's most basic desire.”

Harry looked up when he felt Dumbledore's eyes boring into him again. The headmaster was staring at him as though he had been speaking directly to him and Harry couldn't help but to wonder what exactly was being expected of him…he didn't know and he wasn't all too sure he wanted to enter the competition to find out.

“Ridiculous,” Ron muttered next to Harry. “Could you imagine trying to do that? Sounds a bit mad if you ask me.”

“So, are you going to do it?” Harry asked.

“Of course,” Ron replied. “You think I could win that last one? You know, most…” he stopped to think.

“Poorest showing, Ron?” Hermione asked in her usual don't-you-ever-pay-attention-Ron tone.

“Yeah, that one,” he said excitedly, “you think I could win it?”

“I don't think the intent is to aspire to winning that one, Ron,” she said matter-of-factly, “I think you're actually supposed to put forth the effort to try and win one of the other awards.”

Ron's eyes opened wide and he looked bewildered. “One of the other ones?” he said, leaning closer to her. “You don't think I could really win of those, do you?”

“Of course I do, Ronald,” she said encouragingly. Ron's eyes lit up as he thought about going up and getting his prize. “But…”

“There's a but?” he said looking suddenly deflated.

“…not with that attitude,” she said firmly. “You have to think you can. Do you think you can?”

“Well…” he said, thinking, “maybe…yeah, with a little help from you.”

“How do you know I'm not entering the individual competition?” she asked smartly.

“Well,” he said tilting his head and opening his eyes wider, “are you?”

“No,” she answered, “probably not.”

Harry had been quiet throughout their conversation so together they tried to draw him in.

“What about you Harry?” Hermione asked curiously. “Are you going to enter?”

“Yeah, Harry, come on,” Ron said excitedly, “we could do it together.”

Harry shook his head, “Nah, I don't think so.”

“Come on Harry,” Ron begged. “It'll be loads of fun, we'll even get Hermione to help.”

Harry glanced in Hermione's direction and saw the hopeful look in her eyes as she watched him. He sighed, “All right, I'll think about it,” he said reluctantly. He caught the hopeful look on Ron's face and quickly added, “But I'm not doing a group competition. If I do it, I have to do it alone.”

Ron's deflated expression returned. “Aw, come on Harry,” he begged again, “you know it'll be fun.”

“I'm sure it will be Ron, but if I do it it'll be alone or not at all,” he said firmly.

Ron recognized his tone immediately and knew that the battle was over before it could even begin. There was no way he would get Harry to change his mind now. “All right,” he conceded. He turned his hopeful eyes to Hermione, “What about you? Will you do it with me?”

Hermione was staring curiously at Harry, her narrowed eyes lingering longer then Ron thought necessary. “Hello? Hermione? Are you in there?” he called out to her, waving his hands in front of her.

Hermione blinked and turned back to Ron with a sour expression, “What Ron? Did you say something?” she asked somewhat irritably.

“Well, yeah,” he replied sarcastically, “I was asking you if you would still do the competition with me. Maybe we could get Ginny too.”

Hermione was still curious about Harry's behavior and once again she'd barely registered Ron's words. “Yeah, okay Ron, whatever,” she distractedly, quickly returning her attention to Harry.

“Great,” he said loudly. “I'll go ask Ginny.” He got up and began walking toward his sister. Suddenly feeling confused, Hermione turned and watched him go.

She looked at Harry again and pointed toward Ron, “What's he going to get Ginny for?” she asked.

Harry looked at her like she'd just landed from another planet, “You just agreed to do the ice sculpture contest with him and he said he'd try to get Ginny to help too,” he informed her. “Are you all right, Hermione?”

“Wait a minute,” she said, putting her finger up in the air. She shook her head a couple times as she allowed Harry's words to sink in. She looked at him with wide eyes, “I just did WHAT?” she yelled.

“Hermione calm down,” Harry said chuckling softly, “it's no big deal. Just relax.”

Hermione looked at him pointedly, “Well, if it's no big deal, Harry, why didn't you want to enter the competition with him?”

“Okay Hermione,” he said laughing, “you got me there.”

“So, are you going to tell me why you won't enter the competition with him…I mean,” she gulped, “us?”

Harry shook his head. “I wish I could Hermione but I can't,” he said in a serious tone.

“Why not?” she asked curiously, studying him once again through narrowed eyes.

“Because I don't know why,” he said softly, staring unseeingly at his hands resting on the table. He raised his eyes to hers and shook his head again. “I just don't know.”

End Flashback

The first few months of the school year seemed to fly by and everywhere Harry went he couldn't seem to escape the excited talk about the competition. Although he'd shown little to no interest he was made well aware of the fact that Draco and Cho were both entering the individual competition and the Creevey brothers were teaming up to `show them all how it's done'. He couldn't even remember who all the others were anymore…and he found that he really didn't care either.

Luna and Neville were both entering the individual competition as well and Harry had tried to recommend getting Neville on the team with Ron, Hermione and Ginny; Hermione had adamantly refused. She was already seriously regretting having said yes to Ron because he was driving her crazy constantly trying to come up with ideas for what they would carve. As a result she'd flat out refused to have Neville there joining in with him. She did however, try once to get Ron to drop her and replace her with Neville…fortunately (or not, depending on who's looking at it) Ron was not quite as oblivious as she had hoped he might be and he didn't fall for it.

Hermione had long since lost count as to the number of times she'd told Ron that they needed to wait until they saw the ice before deciding what to do with it. Unfortunately, he never listened and she'd been forced to block him out entirely when he was speaking to her. Ron, on the other hand, was beginning to get frustrated with her because he was constantly having to repeat himself when asking her for help with his homework.

Harry sat back and watched it all in silent amusement. He made sure never to talk about it with Hermione for fear she might somehow turn it all around and find him to blame. He'd felt her eyes on him that day in the Great Hall and a small part of him knew that it was because of his odd behavior that she'd lost focus on Ron and had inadvertently committed herself to being on his team. What he didn't want was for Hermione to recognize his small part in it.

For his part, Harry couldn't even begin to understand what his problem was. There was something about the competition that bothered him. It felt almost as though he was scared or like there was so much more to it for him then just cutting a block of ice. Somehow he seemed to dread what the outcome would be if he were to enter. What could possibly happen that would make me so scared? He often wondered.

He'd thought about the competition a lot and decided that he was firmly against entering. Whatever it was he feared about it had succeeded in messing with his psyche just enough to convince him it wasn't a good idea to enter and he felt better having made up his mind.

The morning of 10^th December seemed to arrive in record time. Harry woke that morning clearly remembering he'd had a dream but as hard as he tried he could not recall the details. There was something about it that haunted him throughout the day and he was finding it more difficult then usual to concentrate in his classes. He felt strongly as though he'd forgotten something important and as hard as he tried to concentrate on it, he couldn't begin to fathom what it might be.

Potions ended just before lunch and Harry had barely enough time to gather his things before he felt Ron grab the sleeve of his robe and pull him quickly toward the door.

“What're you doing, Ron?” Harry demanded. “Let go of me.”

Ron quickly let go of Harry's robes and looked at him as though he hadn't realized he was there. “Sorry Harry, I thought you were Hermione,” he said distractedly.

“Hermione?” Harry asked bewilderingly. “What're you talking about? I hope it's not often you get the two of us confused.”

Ron looked at him and laughed, “Nah mate, your hair might be all crazy but you ain't got nothing on Hermione.”

“Excuse me?”

Ron jumped at the sound of Hermione's voice and he slowly turned to find her watching him closely. “What were you saying about my hair?” she asked.

“Um…uh…nothing really,” Ron stammered. He shot a pleading look at Harry who was trying hard not to laugh at the two of them. Ron rolled his eyes and gave Harry a `thanks a lot mate' look before he returned his attention to Hermione. “I was…um…I was just telling Harry how lovely your hair looks today,” he said quickly. That oughta do it, he thought proudly.

Hermione eyed him cautiously and he could feel his ears starting to turn red, Bloody hell! He thought nervously.

“I don't believe you, Ronald,” she stated flatly.

“But…I…”

“But…” she said warningly, interrupting whatever argument he'd been about to present, “I'm going to let it slide this time.”

Ron released the breath he'd been holding and sighed, “Why?” he asked in amazement.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and looked at Harry as though saying, `can you believe this guy?'

Harry started to chuckle softly then shook his head and shrugged his shoulders at her in a, `you got me' gesture.

Hermione turned narrowed eyes to Ron and looked at him wonderingly.

Ron could feel himself getting nervous under her stare, “What?” he asked anxiously, “Why are you looking at me like that?” He turned his gaze and looked pleadingly at Harry and said, “Harry, make her stop.”

At that Harry could no longer contain his laughter and he burst out laughing, “No, Ron, I can't,” he stammered, “this ones on you.”

Hermione looked at Harry and had to fight for control of her own laughter. She looked back at Ron with her nostrils flaring as she fought hard not to laugh. “Well Ron,” she said stiffly, “it's like this. I can see you walking and talking but sometimes I can't help but wonder how you do it.”

Ron looked taken aback, “Wh…whaddya mean by that?” he asked.

Hermione looked down at the ground and released a small chuckle before she looked up at him again more seriously, “It's just that walking and talking require the use of a brain and sometimes I wonder where you've left yours, that's all.”

Harry eyes went wide and he turned around abruptly and looked down at the ground. Ron turned his shocked expression from Hermione to Harry and saw that Harry's shoulders were shaking uncontrollably with silent laughter. Ron reached out and smacked him on the shoulder, “What's so funny?” he asked seriously, “you're supposed to be on my side.”

Harry swallowed hard a couple of times then turned his tear-stained face to Ron. He was in a battle with the corners of his mouth as they tried hard to raise in a smile. “Sorry, Ron,” he choked out, “but you should've just let it go mate. She let you off the hook and you just couldn't let it go, could you?”

Ron stared silently at Harry as he thought back on the last few minutes of conversation. Hermione tapped her foot and waited patiently for the light to turn on over his head. She was just picturing the cartoon version of it when his eyes lit up and he smiled. She couldn't help but to chuckle at his perfect timing…it never failed.

“All right,” Ron said sounding once again relieved, “I got it now. I'm letting it go.” He looked at Hermione pointedly and said, “Thank you Miss Granger for letting me off the hook…this time.”

Hermione nodded her head and started to laugh. This time both Harry and Ron laughed with her.

“Come on,” Ron said after a minute, “let's go get some lunch.”

Harry and Hermione nodded and the three of them started walking toward the Great Hall.

“So why'd you grab me anyway, Ron?” Harry asked breaking the silence.

“Oh yeah,” Ron said excitedly, “I almost forgot.” Harry followed Ron's gaze to Hermione and he could have sworn he saw her cringe. “Today's the last day to sign up for the competition. We can't forget to do that.”

Hermione shot Harry a weary look and sighed before she answered Ron, “Oh yeah,” she said flatly, “we can't forget to do that.”

Harry tried to give her a reassuring smile but instead of accepting it she stuck her tongue out at him and sneered. He looked at the ground and smiled, damn but she can be cute, he thought.

The remainder of the walk to the Great Hall was spent in blissful silence. With every step Harry was fearful that Ron would say something to set Hermione off. She'd been very touchy about the competition in recent weeks and it was not a topic Harry wanted to discuss…or listen to!

When they arrived in the Great Hall Hermione looked around and immediately found who she was looking for. Ginny was already seated and thankfully there were three seats across from her and one next to her that had been vacated. Hermione sat down across from her and gestured for Harry to sit down next to her. When Ron made to sit down on the other side of Harry she stopped him abruptly, “Ron,” she said quickly, “why don't you sit next to Ginny so we can all talk better?”

Ron stopped and looked at her questioningly before he nodded and walked around the table to sit beside his sister. Harry looked curiously at Hermione and she raised her eyebrows and jerked her head in Ron's direction. Harry narrowed his eyes at her briefly then turned to look at Ron. He couldn't help but laugh. Ron and Ginny were talking excitedly to each other about the competition, totally oblivious to the fact that Harry and Hermione were sitting across the table from them. Harry leaned toward her and whispered, “Brilliant!” She smiled slyly then began to dish food onto her plate.

As per usual, Ron finished eating before either of them and he was starting to get impatient. “Will you two hurry up?” he asked abruptly.

“Why?” Harry asked curiously. “What's your rush?”

Ron rolled his eyes and sighed exaggeratedly, “I told you,” he said emphatically, “we have to sign up for the competition.”

“Oh,” Harry said noncommittally, “that's right.”

“So,” Ron asked him curiously, “are you going to do it?”

Harry shook his head, “Nah, I decided against it. Not interested,” he looked from Ron to Hermione then quickly added, “and there's nothing either of you can say to make me change my mind so just forget it.”

“Okay, Harry,” Ron said heavily, “we get it.”

Hermione placed her hand over Harry's and studied his face searchingly. He felt her watching him and he turned to meet her eyes, “Forget about it Hermione,” he said softly.

She nodded her head but she still couldn't help but to wonder what it was that bothered him so much about ice sculpting.

Harry pushed his plate away and looked at Hermione, “You ready?” he asked.

Hermione nodded and pushed her plate away then they both stood up and looked at Ron who was now talking to Lavender about the competition. “Are you ready, Ron?” Hermione asked in the same impatient tone he'd used on her and Harry only a minute ago.

Ron looked up quickly and nodded his head, “Yeah, come on,” he said excitedly.

Hermione looked at Lavender and rolled her eyes, “See you later,” she sighed.

“Bye Hermione,” Lavender said laughing. She knew how much Hermione was dreading this and she couldn't help but laugh as she thought about the madness that was sure to ensue.

Harry and Hermione trailed along behind a nearly bouncing Ron as they went to find the sign-up sheet. Ordinarily Hermione would have already signed them up but she had secretly been hoping that Ron would forget and that it would end up being too late. If it was homework he would've forgotten, she grumbled to herself.

When they got to the sign-up sheet Ron quickly pulled out his quill and wrote down his, Hermione's and Ginny's names as part of the team competition. He raised his eyebrows and held the quill out to Harry, “You sure, mate?” he asked.

Harry looked first at Ron, then Hermione, then the sign up sheet, then the quill and shook his head while his hand reached up and took the quill. Ron and Hermione both gasped and Harry nearly dropped it when he realized it was in his hand. He looked at Ron questioningly and Ron shrugged his shoulders and slowly backed away from the sheet to allow Harry access. Hermione's hands were covering her mouth in surprise and her eyes were wide as Harry took the couple steps necessary to take him to the parchment. He looked at the quill curiously then wrote his name at the very bottom of the page under the individual category. There was room for at least ten more names between his and the nearest one on the list. He pulled the parchment closer and looked at the spot where he'd written it. He lifted the quill with the intent of scratching it out but stopped when he felt Hermione's hand on his arm. He looked at her curiously but he couldn't read her strange expression. “No Harry,” she whispered fervently, “don't scratch it off.”

Harry looked once again at his name before he returned his gaze to Hermione. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he silently handed Ron back his quill. Hermione, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off Harry's name where he'd written it at the bottom of the parchment.

Ron was getting a little spooked at whatever was passing between his friends so he cleared his throat loudly to get their attention, “Okay guys,” he said a little too brightly, “ready to get to class?”

Hermione looked at Harry once again and shook her head to clear her thoughts. What was that all about? She thought bewilderingly.

What just happened? Harry wondered; that same feeling he'd had since the competition was announced came back full force and he couldn't help but to feel a little frightened.

“So Harry,” Ron said loudly, “um…what made you change your mind?

Harry looked at him and shook his head, “I didn't,” he stated firmly.

Something about his tone stopped Ron from questioning him any further and they walked the rest of the way to History of Magic in silence.

Hermione couldn't help but to sneak occasional glances at Harry or to wonder what he might be thinking. That had been a bizarre moment for both of them and she was having a lot of trouble understanding what transpired. She was always, always the rational one but something she couldn't explain made her reach out to stop him from taking his name off that list. Now she was left to wonder what exactly was going to happen next.

Harry couldn't think straight anymore and he was actually thankful for double History of Magic. It was the one class that didn't require cognizant thought so he left his mind to wander. Bits and pieces of his dream from the night before began to come back to him in his daydream. He could see a woman walking toward what appeared to be an old storage room that looked as though it hadn't been used in years. She was wearing a long coat with the hood pulled over her head, preventing him from seeing her face or any part of her features. But there was something familiar about her; he was sure that he knew her. He stood back and watched as his dream persona appeared in the doorway; he was watching her intently as she approached. He looked as though he had something important to tell her and he was in fear of her reaction. As she drew nearer to him he smiled. Something about his smile filled the real Harry's heart and though he couldn't see her face, he knew that she was smiling back at him. His dream persona reached for her hand and carefully guided her into the room. He could see that they were standing close together and his heart started beating rapidly. She reached up to pull down the hood of her coat and he…

“Harry,” Hermione whispered fervently, “Harry wake up.”

“Huh?” he mumbled. “What? I'm busy. Leave me `lone.”

Hermione smiled and nudged him again, “Harry wake up class is about over,” she said more urgently. He still didn't move so she tried a new tactic, “…and you're snoring!”

Harry sat bolt upright and said loudly, “Whaddaya mean I'm snoring? I don't snore.”

“Shh,” Hermione said laughing although it was already too late. Most of the class had heard him and snickering could be heard from all around the room. Harry turned beat red and as she looked at him she thought, damn but he can be cute. “Sorry,” she whispered, “I was just trying to get you to wake up. I didn't know you'd react like that.”

Harry looked at her and instantly forgot everything, “It's all right,” he whispered back, “I'm sure they could all use a good laugh anyway.”

Hermione breathed a huge sigh of relief, “Thanks for not getting mad at me,” she said.

He looked at her searchingly and said, “I could never be mad at you.”

Hermione smiled and blushed then returned her attention to Professor Binns just in time for class to be dismissed.

“What's Ron doing?” Harry asked, “He's been awfully quiet.”

“Well he wasn't a little bit ago,” she said smiling, “he really was snoring.”

Harry laughed and said, “Come on, let's wake him up and get out of here.”

Hermione nodded then reached over and smacked Ron softly in the head. Instinctively Harry's hand went to his own head and he said, “Is that what would've come next if the snoring comment didn't work?”

“No Harry,” she said smiling, “I could never hit you like that.” Then she turned back to Ron and smacked him just a little bit harder to get his attention, “Come on Ron, wake up, class is over.” Harry's hand was still rubbing the back of his head as Ron woke up and they made their way out of the classroom.

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Okay…so next we head for the competition. I hope to see you all there!

Have a great day!

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A/N: Okay, I realize that where I left off on the first part seemed a little strange, but I felt it was necessary. Here is the second part which will explain it all to you…

Thanks.

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His Heart's Most Basic Desire

Part 2

“So is this really it?” Harry asked nervously. “This is the first day of the competition already?”

It had been five days since he'd signed his name to that parchment. Five days of misery and regret, lethally combined with fear and anxiety had resulted in a great deal of mental distress…

“This is it Harry,” Ron answered. “Pretty cool, eh?” he added looking around.

“Yeah,” Harry muttered, “cool.”

There must have been nearly 100 students signed up for the competition. Everything had been set up in the courtyard and everywhere they looked there were blocks of ice just waiting for a little inspiration and an ice pick. Harry turned away from Ron and slowly walked around examining them, waiting for one to `speak' to him. They came in all different sizes and he was feeling a little overwhelmed by it all. He thought more than once about just giving up and walking away but something kept pulling him along. It was probably close to the thirtieth block of ice he looked at when he finally found the `one'. It was just a few inches shorter then he was and as he'd had no control to this point, all he could do was assume the dimensions were perfect for whatever it was his subconscious mind had already decided on. He took the piece of parchment he'd been given with his name on it and placed it at the base of the ice and waited for further instructions.

Harry was standing near his block of ice, minding his own business, lost in his thoughts when Dumbledore arrived. “So Harry, I see that you have decided to participate,” he said conversationally.

Harry looked at him curiously, “No, Professor,” he said blatantly, “I didn't.”

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly and he smiled at Harry, “Yes, yes, I see,” he said nodding his head.

“See what?”

“Sometimes we are led, Harry, by desires we know not as our own,” he said knowingly, “it is your heart that has brought you here and I, for one, cannot wait to discover the reason.”

“My heart?” Harry said questioningly. “What do you mean…” he stopped abruptly when Dumbledore raised his hands.

“Ask no questions of me Harry,” he advised, “merely allow your hands to be the vessel through which your heart speaks. You shall know very soon its message. For now I must go,” he added with another smile, “it's time to begin.” He raised his eyebrows and for a moment Harry thought he looked as excited as a schoolboy and he couldn't help but to laugh. He was still chuckling when Dumbledore walked away.

“I swear he gets crazier and crazier every year,” he muttered to himself.

“Perhaps,” Hermione replied, “although I don't know how it's possible.”

Harry hadn't noticed her walk up but he was thrilled to have her there beside him. She looked at the block of ice he'd chosen and said, “Wow Harry! That's a big block,” she looked at him in surprise, “do you know what you're going to do with it yet?”

Harry shook his head, unable to explain any of what had happened recently he said, “Nope. Just picked it, I figure I'll just chop away and see what happens.”

She was looking at him closely again, scrutinizing him, and he steeled himself for the onslaught of questions. She surprised him by saying, “Yeah, I think that's probably what we'll do too.”

He shook his head in disbelief but decided he liked her course of action very much so he didn't question her. “So, are you getting excited about this yet?” he asked.

“Not really,” she said flatly looking at him helplessly, “I'm just letting them decide what to make of it and I'll just hang out and do the best I can, I suppose.”

Harry laughed and she looked at him questioningly, “What's so funny about that?”

“Well Hermione,” he said smiling, “this is you we're talking about. If you say you'll do your best I imagine we'll be seeing the Eiffel Tower or something equally as great. You make it sounds as though you'll have a sand pit by the time you're done.” Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed and Harry found he really loved the sound of it so he quickly added, “…and knowing you, if you end up with a sand pit you'll make a grand sand castle out of it.”

Hermione looked down at the ground and blushed furiously at his compliments. He always seemed to know just what to say to her to make her feel better about things…it was one of the things she'd always loved the most about him. She looked up at him and smiled then moved closer to wrap her arms around him, “Thanks Harry,” she whispered.

Harry hugged her back tightly and nodded his head, “Anytime, Hermione,” he replied softly.

Hermione pulled away from him reluctantly and reached up to place her hand on his cheek, “You're the best Harry.”

He closed his eyes and relinquished himself to her touch. When he opened them a moment later he found her watching him and he reached his hand up to take hers. He held it briefly where it rested against his cheek then brought them down together without letting go of her. “Thanks for that,” he said smiling tenderly at her.

Hermione nodded then looked down at where his hand held hers and for just a moment her heart felt full. What is wrong with me? She admonished herself in her thoughts. She abruptly let go of his hand and took a step back, “I'd better go find Ron and Ginny,” she said quickly suddenly feeling anxious, “I think we're about to start.”

Harry felt as though a small part of him had been lost when Hermione released his hand and through the wonder of his thoughts and the dull ache that accompanied the loss of her touch he could offer her nothing more than a nod of his head. He watched in bewilderment as she walked away. What was that all about? He wondered. Thankfully his thoughts were cut short by the sudden intrusion of Dumbledore's voice.

“Ladies and Gentlemen may have your attention please?” he spoke loudly as though he was speaking through a microphone and in an instant the courtyard was quiet. “By now all contestants should have chosen their ice block. First of all, I feel I must remind you that the purpose of this competition is to have fun. It would not be wise to tamper with your fellow contestants' creations nor would it be wise to be overheard saying degrading remarks toward each other whilst in the midst of this competition. You will have five days to complete your carving. The carving will end on 20^th December and the judging will begin on the 21^st. I caution you all,” he paused to be sure every eye was on him, “respect for one another must be your utmost priority if you do not wish to be disqualified. We are here to have fun and fun in no way includes disparaging remarks toward one another. Do I make myself quite clear?”

“Yes sir!” rang out loudly from amongst the students…with the exception of Draco and the other Slytherins who were entered. Harry watched as they all stood together smirking. This is going to be a long five days, he thought.

“If you wish, you may feel free to move your ice to any unoccupied or unused location as you deem fit. You are authorized for the remainder of this competition to use magic to ensure your location is cold enough to sustain the integrity of the ice. Now,” he said smiling, “we begin.”

Cheers went up from around the courtyard as competitors and spectators alike began to shout out in their excitement. Everything to this point had seemed odd to Harry so he knew without a doubt that he would have to find someplace private to sculpt.

“Follow me, Harry.”

Harry turned abruptly to find that Dumbledore had returned. Harry took a few quick steps and fell into place beside him. “Where are we going?” he asked curiously.

“I want to show you something,” Dumbledore said, “just stay with me for a moment.”

Harry shrugged and followed along in silence until they arrived in front of a door that Harry had never seen before. It was located about 10 meters from the courtyard and Harry couldn't imagine how he'd ever missed it. “Passing Fancy,” Dumbledore stated softly and the door swung open wide. Harry gave him a strange look then followed him into the room.

“Passing Fancy?” he questioned.

Dumbledore smiled, “Much like the Room of Requirement, this room is a passing fancy. Here when you need it gone when you don't.”

Harry nodded and shrugged. “What's it for?” he asked.

“For you,” Dumbledore said as though stating the obvious.

“For me?” Harry questioned, “What do you mean? Why for me?”

Dumbledore examined Harry closely then smiled a knowing smile, “Ah Harry, soon you will understand,” he said. “You have entered into this competition based upon the needs of your heart. I am quite certain you would not wish at the moment for others to see what that might be. I am offering you this as a place of refuge, a place where you may come to create…to let your heart speak.”

“Wow,” Harry said in awe, “really? But how did you…”

“Harry, it is not often we allow ourselves to be guided by the true, most basic desire of our heart. You have told me that you did not wish to be in the competition and yet here you are. As such, I feel it is especially imperative that you have a private place in which to discover the message your heart wishes to convey.”

“Thank you,” Harry replied looking around the room. He wasn't sure how close in nature this room was to the Room of Requirement but as he looked around he noticed that its current state was that of an old work room. There was a revolving platform with an old stool beside it and hanging from the nearby wall he saw chisels, handsaws, ice picks, tongs, and a vast assortment of other tools he would need to complete his project.

Dumbledore was watching Harry with a look of amusement. “I hope you don't mind Harry, but I took the liberty of preparing the room for you. The platform and the tools are, of course, being provided to the other students as well.”

Harry looked at him in awe, “No sir,” he said in amazement, “this is perfect.”

“Very well then,” Dumbledore said quickly, “I'll let you get to it. Just use a little magic to get your ice here,” he advised.

“Yes sir,” Harry replied.

“Oh, and one more thing Harry,” Dumbledore said, “while the temperature of the room may feel comfortable for you, the truth of the matter is, it is freezing in here. You'll not need to do anything to adjust the temperature for the ice.” He winked at him and added, “A little gift from me to you. Let's keep it to ourselves, shall we?”

Harry nodded quickly. “One more question?” Harry asked.

“Anything, Harry,” he replied.

“How is it that I've never seen this door before?”

“Ah yes, as I have told you Harry, this room is much like the Room of Requirement. It is here when you need it, gone when you don't. But I must warn you,” he cautioned, “whilst you are in here it would be wise to keep the door closed at all times. Should you forget and leave it opened, anyone can find you. As long as it is closed, the door will not exist to passerby, you must know it is here in order to see it.”

“Yes sir,” Harry replied, “…and thank you.”

“It is my pleasure Harry,” Dumbledore replied smiling at him once again. “Now, I really must be going.”

Harry followed him out the door and walked back to retrieve his block of ice, “Wingardium Leviosa,” he said with a swish and flick of his wand. Thankfully the others appeared to be too wrapped up in what they were doing to notice him and his floating ice block moving quickly around the corner.

He set the ice down gently on the pedestal and studied it for a while. After what felt like an eternity he began to feel stupid. What am I doing here? He wondered. “I don't even know what I'm doing,” he muttered, “this is ridiculous.”

Unable to move he started to mindlessly turn the ice on the pedestal, watching as it spun around and around and around; the effect was dizzying and he found himself entranced by it. He let his mind go as his eyes continued to watch the spinning ice. Without realizing it he reached for a chipper and began to cut large chunks of ice from around the edges. He found that every time he tried to put cognizant thought to what he was doing he was unable to go any further. It was when he let his mind wander that he was able to work. Judging by the sharpness of the tools, he wasn't sure which was worse…cognizant thought that prevented him from working or incognizant thought which kept him working but oblivious to the tools he was handling. He quickly decided that if he ever wanted to get this over with he would need to place his faith in the capable hands of Madam Pomfrey. With that decision made he set to work on sculpting his heart's masterpiece.

Several hours later he was exhausted. He looked at the ice as though for the first time. All that work and I still can't tell what it is, he thought. The edges had been cut and here and there pieces had been picked out but the overall shape was not completely clear to him. “This is a going to take a long time,” he said wearily.

He stood up from the stool and stretched before he began to hang the tools back on the wall. After a few minutes he looked around one last time then walked out of the room. He stepped outside and although it was getting dark, he could see that some people were still working diligently on their sculptures. He yawned and stretched again then headed inside to get something to eat. He walked to the Great Hall only to discover that he'd missed dinner. Must have been in there longer than I thought. He looked around one more time and decided to head for the kitchen to find Dobby. He knew Dobby always had plenty of food to share. He was about 5 meters from the door when he felt himself being propelled backwards. “There you are Harry,” he heard Hermione shout. “We were so worried about you. Where've you been?”

“Hermione, let him go,” Ron said laughing. “I doubt he can answer with you being all up in his face like that. Back off a little.”

Hermione jumped back quickly, “Sorry Harry,” she mumbled embarrassed by her irrational display, “I didn't mean to attack you like that. I was just so relieved to see you.”

“It's all right Hermione,” he said calmly trying to straighten his robes, “but what's wrong? What're you worried about?”

“It's just that when you didn't show up for dinner and we couldn't find you anywhere, I just…”

Harry looked at her and nodded his understanding. “It's all right.”

“…it's just…I worry about you,” she finished softly, looking at ground.

Harry placed his hand on her shoulder and bent down to look at her face, “It's all right, Hermione,” he said gently, “I'm fine. I just stopped carving a few minutes ago, that's all. I didn't realize how late it was.”

“Well where were you?” she asked.

“I'm sorry Hermione, but I just can't tell you that right now,” he replied. The use of that room meant a lot to him and for now he wanted to keep its whereabouts a secret, even from Hermione and Ron.

She studied him for a moment then nodded, “Okay Harry,” she replied, “so long as you're all right.”

“I am,” he replied, “I'm just hungry.”

“Now that's what I'm talking about,” said Ron laughing. “See Hermione, I told you he was fine.” Ron had been quietly observing them from where he stood in the background. Something was going on between his two best friends and couldn't help but wonder what it was. It seemed as though Hermione was showing more and more concern for Harry while at the same time giving him more space…definitely not normal behavior for her. And from where he stood, Harry seemed different as well. Where he would normally get irritated with her for displays such as this one, he was actually quite amenable. He wondered briefly if there might be more between them then he'd ever allowed himself to imagine before. He made a silent vow to watch over them, to protect them, until they got it all sorted out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every day, immediately after classes Harry would race off to his secret place to begin carving. He was actually beginning to enjoy the way his mind wandered while his hands worked. Every day he could see a little more of his creation come to life. One of the first things he'd done was carve the outline of her robes followed by the most exquisite, intricately detailed wings imaginable. Sometimes when he looked at them he would find himself waiting in anticipation for them to move. Her hair fell in waves down to the tip of the wings and though it looked a little unruly he found it to be quite beautiful.

By the end of the third day he had completed the finite details of her hands which extended just beyond the length of the sleeves of her robes. It was eerie to him because as he looked at her everything appeared to be perfect…with the exception of her face. He hadn't yet carved those details…

On the fourth day of the competition Harry anxiously awaited the end of his classes. He was impatient and short tempered with nearly everyone throughout the day as his restlessness grew. He wanted to finish her…for the sake of his own sanity he needed to finish her.

By the time classes were released Harry was wound up so tight that he practically sprung from his chair and raced out the door to his private sculpting room. “Passing Fancy,” he called out as he neared the door. He stood back as the door swung open and he raced inside. He threw his school bag into the corner of the room and immediately sat down to carve her face. He worked relentlessly…feverishly. Fragments of her image flashed through his mind and his hands carved every detail with meticulous precision. He worked for hours getting all of the details perfected. When he finished he set down the last tool he'd used and walked away. He knew she was complete. He knew that once he truly looked upon her face he would see who lived within his heart and the thought nearly petrified him. Before he took that chance he walked out into the cool air to take a break and to look for Ron and Hermione.

They'd decided to leave their sculpture in the courtyard so Harry had no trouble finding them.

“How's it going?” he asked.

“Hiya Harry,” Ron said cheerfully, “it's great.” He stepped back from the ice and asked, “So, what do you think?”

Harry was amazed at the site before him…they'd been working diligently on a replica of all things Quidditch. He could easily make out the three goals, a quaffle, and the bludgers. It appeared as though Hermione was working on the snitch and he couldn't help but wonder how she felt about it knowing she wasn't anywhere near as big of a fan of the sport as Ginny and Ron were. “I think Hermione and Ginny have done most of the work,” Harry said laughing.

“Hey now,” Ron said in mock warning, “I'll have you know this was my idea.”

“It's one thing to come up with the idea Ron,” Hermione said as she joined them from the other side of the ice, “it's something completely different to actually participate in the work. Hi Harry.”

“Hi Hermione,” Harry replied quietly. Her face was flushed and the pinkness of her cheeks made her eyes look brighter and he was temporarily mesmerized by the sight of her.

Ron looked momentarily taken aback then laughed, “All right Hermione, let's see if I share the prize you with when this is over.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Let's just see if we make it through this thing first, Ronald,” she snapped back. She turned to look at Harry, “He's driving me crazy!” she mouthed to him. Harry gave her helpless look then reached out to squeeze her hand.

She moved to stand closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder, “So how's yours coming?” she asked.

“It's coming,” he replied noncommittally. “Just needed a break, that's all.”

“When can I see it?”

He turned his head to look at her and she raised her head from his shoulder to look back at him. “Soon. Tomorrow probably,” he replied somewhat hesitantly. He couldn't be sure if he wanted her to see his heart's desire…somehow the thought seemed to frighten him even more.

“Okay, tomorrow,” she answered softly still looking into his eyes, “I can't wait.”

“Me either,” he lied. Her eyes narrowed as she briefly studied him and he looked quickly away. “So,” he said trying to change the subject, “what's everyone else making?”

“Well,” Ginny said rolling her eyes, “seeing as how Malfoy's so in touch with his inner self, he's making a snake. I think Luna is actually planning to show us all what the Crumple-Horned Snorkack really looks like and Neville…well,” she paused for moment to think about him, “I haven't been able to tell what Neville's been making.”

“Hi Ginny,” Harry said laughing.

“Oh. Sorry,” she said blushing a little, “hi Harry. Couldn't stop myself from butting in.”

“That's all right,” Harry replied still laughing. “Can't tell what Neville's making?” he questioned.

Hermione shook her head, “Nope. No one has any idea.”

“Where is it?” he asked. “It can't be that bad.”

Ron, Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances and laughed then Ginny pointed and said, “Right over there.”

Hermione, who was still holding onto his hand, pulled him in the right direction, “Come on, Harry,” she said, “I'll show you.” They walked in silence to where Neville's ice sculpture stood. Harry let go of her hand and studied the sculpture closely, slowly spinning the platform round and round. “Well?” Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her curiously then turned back to the sculpture. “It almost looks like a deflated Rememberall, doesn't it?” he said wonderingly.

Hermione started laughing, “Yeah, it kind of does,” she agreed, “but how does a Rememberall get deflated? They're usually made of glass.”

Harry looked at her strangely then shrugged his shoulders, “I have no idea,” he said laughing. “Come on, I'm not sure we're even supposed to be here.” He grabbed her hand and they walked quickly back to where Ron and Ginny stood watching them.

“Well?” Ginny asked.

“Deflated Rememberall?” Harry guessed.

Ron and Ginny both started to laugh and it didn't take long for Harry and Hermione to join in.

After a minute Hermione reluctantly let go of Harry's hand and started to walk back to where she'd been working on the snitch. Harry grabbed her arm, not wanting to let her go. He pulled her close to him and whispered for only her to hear, “Tomorrow.”

Hermione smiled tenderly then nodded her head. Harry let her go then turned to walk away. “See you guys later,” he called out to Ron and Ginny.

“See ya Harry,” they called out in return.

Harry was walking quickly back to his private room to grab his things when he stopped abruptly. A small group of first or second years were standing in the doorway which, in his haste to retreat, he'd forgotten to close. He stepped nearer to them and prepared to say something when he overheard one of them speak, “…Hermione Granger.”

Hermione? Harry wondered. What about Hermione?

“Yeah, it does look like her,” one of the young boys concurred.

“Wow!” he heard one of the girls exclaim. “She's beautiful.”

“I thought I saw Hermione out there in the competition though,” one of them said, “how'd she model for this if she's been out there?”

“She didn't,” Harry exclaimed as he walked up to the door. The group all turned around and looked at him in surprise. “That's not Hermione,” he said.

One of the girls looked closely at the ice sculpture and then back at Harry, “Are you sure?” she asked in a soft, somewhat scared sounding voice. “It sure does look like her. Have you seen it?”

Harry stepped into the room and said, “Of course I've seen it. I created it.”

“Wow!” said the same young girl in astonishment. “You must really love her to make an ice sculpture like that.”

Harry stared at the girl in silence for a moment before he turned his attention to the ice sculpture. He stepped forward, studying it closely. He barely heard one of the boys saying, “Come on Sara, let's go.” Harry turned to look at them and watched as the boy pulled her through the door. He couldn't help but smile as he thought about the many times similar things had happened to him and Hermione when they were their age.

He walked over to the door to be sure that it was closed tightly then he walked back to his sculpture. He studied her face for several minutes before he realized that it truly was Hermione's face he was looking into. He sat down on the stool as tears welled in the corner of his eyes. He wasn't the least bit surprised to find her standing before him…his angel.

Silently he stood up and walked to the corner of the room to retrieve his bag. His mind was focused on his discovery and his heart felt as though it was finally at peace. He glanced back at the statue one more time before he closed the door and walked away.

That night he dreamed of a woman walking toward an old storage room…

It was near the end of their final class for the day when Hermione leaned over to Harry and whispered, “I can wait to see it. Is it ready?”

Unable to speak, Harry nodded.

Hermione was almost giddy by the time the class was finally over, “Are you ready?” she asked him excitedly.

Harry shook his head, “Not yet,” he replied, “why don't you go up to your room and change or something then meet my in the courtyard in about 30 minutes, okay?”

She looked at him curiously then reluctantly agreed, “All right, Harry. It's colder out there today so I probably should grab my coat before heading out anyway.”

“Great,” he replied distractedly, “courtyard…30 minutes.”

He started to walk away and Hermione stood there watching him with a stunned expression. That was strange, she thought before she realized that 30 minutes wasn't a whole lot of time. Paying no mind to anything else around her she took off like a shot to her room in Gryffindor Tower.

Harry was waiting anxiously for her near the courtyard. He'd already been to the room to check on his sculpture and to verify that he hadn't been imagining things. The sculpture stood just as it had the night before and nothing about it changed…it was most definitely Hermione. After what felt like an eternity he finally saw her walking toward him and sighed heavily; he was nervous about her reaction.

“Are you ready?” she asked feeling anxious herself.

As he looked at her he got an idea, “No, not yet,” he said quickly, “give me five more minutes then walk around that corner,” he said pointing, “you'll find an open door about 10 meters down. I'll be waiting there.”

She searched his face and satisfied that he wasn't just playing with her, she agreed. “All right, Harry,” she said, “I should probably check on our sculpture really quick anyway. I'll let Ron and Ginny know that I'll be back soon.”

“Great,” he replied sounding relieved. “Five minutes.”

Harry walked away from her quickly. He didn't have much time so he practically ran to the room, barely stopping to allow the door to swing open after he called out the password.

He pulled out his wand and approached the statue. Until now everything had been done through some unexplainable connection between his subconscious mind and his heart…

What he wanted to do now was strictly for them...and he wanted to do it with a clear mind. Smiling at his own, cognizant handiwork he walked to the door to wait for her…

She was wearing her long winter coat with the hood pulled up over her head as she approached the door where he was standing. She looked beautiful with the chill of the winter air coloring her cheeks. He was nervous about how she'd react to what he'd created. He knew now what he wanted…he supposed he'd always known. He smiled at her as she drew closer and she returned to him the most breathtaking smile he could ever remembering seeing. He reached out for her hand and carefully drew her into the room. He was standing next to her, gauging her reaction when she reached up to lower her hood. Tears were streaming down her face as she stared in awe at the vision before her. Harry had created a plaque that he set at the base of the sculpture that read:

My Hermione…My Angel

…and he'd created a soft, effervescent glow that surrounded the sculpture providing the perfect glow to give it the appearance that she had truly descended from Heaven.

Her heart was beating rapidly and it felt to her as though she had a vice wrapped tightly around her heart. It was in the moment she saw the statue that she realized what her own heart had been telling her for years.

“This is my heart's most basic desire,” he said softly. “You are my heart's most basic desire.”

“I know,” she replied through her tears, “just as you are mine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: This is it. This is what it's all about. The competition was just a ploy…a necessity to get Harry to realize the truth. There are no losers here…only the two winners left standing together at the end.

Thanks.

Challenge Guidelines:

Dumbledore announced that there will be Christmas (or Winter) Competition in Hogwarts in Harry's sixth year. People, who want to take part in it, are supposed to make an ice sculpture.
Rules:
1) At first Harry didn't want to take part in it. But later he does.
2) There are at least 3 categories in competition but try to make more (i.e. most funny sculpture, most beautiful, most horrible etc, etc)
3) Ron, Malfoy, Creevey brothers, Cho, Ginny, Luna, Neville had to take part in competition.
4) Harry makes an Angel but no one has been his model.
5) No one knows about Harry's work, but when he's almost finished some first (or second) years find out this sculpture. Harry overhears theirs talk. They make comments how this angel looks like Hermione Granger. Harry is surprised.
6) Harry is observing his Angel and sees that it really looks like Hermione. He's thinking about her and make a conclusion: Hermione is his angel and he loves her. He is NOT surprised that he's in love with her. He had been suspecting this for some time, but now he is sure about this feeling.
7) Harry names his sculpture "My Angel" then he shows it to Hermione. Harry explain why this is his Angel using examples of Hermione's devotion, support, friendship, love. They may kiss at the end, but they shouldn't tell "I love you" They don't need words! They just understand it.
8) It's up to you if Harry wins in competition.
9) I prefer it is ONE SHOT, but if you know you will finish it, you can make it chaptered.
10) You can make it a song fic using song with this same title.

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