A/N A brief interlude
Chapter 16 The Shrieking Shack Part Duex
*****************Hogwarts/Hogsmeade******************
November 12, 2005
The first Hogsmeade weekend that Harry, along with several others had been able to attend, had dawned bitterly cold. The November winds howled off the lake and swept across the courtyard, causing those students waiting for carriages to huddle together for warmth. Last scheduled Hogsmeade weekend, Harry and Hermione had elected to stay behind to allow all the prefects to go, as either a prefect or a Head student had to be in the castle. Harry had volunteered the both of them, as he knew her well enough to know that she hadn't wanted to celebrate anything at the time; it had been before the events of Halloween night. Even now, the hurt was still ever present, but she had had a measure of vengeance to help settle her thoughts. She still wanted Lucius' head on a platter, far more than Voldemort's even; she blamed him, rightly, for her parent's torture and murders.
As to Ron, he of course had his own issues with the Death Eaters over the death of Percy and the torture of his mother. However fortunately or unfortunately, he did not have the direct target to lust after that Hermione had. Over the last few months, Harry had experienced what Ron and especially Hermione had had to deal with in him for so long. God, I'm sorry guys. Harry thought mournfully as they stepped out of a thestral-drawn carriage, Hermione tucked into his side, once again to try not to see the harbingers of death.
This weekend would hopefully be different. As had happened in Diagon Alley months prior, the Gryffindors walked together down the street almost like a pack. The head lions and lioness leading the pack, while the rest of the pride followed along. It was funny in a morbid sort of way; so-called adult wizards would look at the teens coming down the street and would step out of the way. It wasn't as if they were impolite or even mean-looking per-say. The group was laughing and carrying on, teasing each other with every other breath. Most of them were even holding hands with someone, usually someone of the opposite gender. None of them were even wearing black. They should have looked as what they were; a group of friends out on what was basically an outing.
No it wasn't those behaviors, it was the occasional haunted look that would cross an eye or the way they would scan around as if they were expecting trouble, to jump out at any moment. They weren't really, it was just habit, habit hammered home by a hard school of experience. This group was more or less the one that had fought the Death Eaters and their minions to a standstill in these streets, not so long ago. The ones that held the line until the Ministry's Aurors and troops finally showed up, far too late to save almost twenty students and many townsfolk from the veil. Normal people just liked having the lions to guard them, they just got nervous when they came in the front door.
Even though the town had been repaired since last June, it still showed deep scars, and the new construction was in it's own way even more obvious. The old Honeydukes, which had taken a direct dragon blast at the beginning of the fight, was gone. A new franchise had been put up across the street even bigger than the first. Zonkos, which likewise had been destroyed, was recreated in the same place as it had been, but they were still trying to restock all of their merchandise. (To the relief of Flich, if no one else.) The group prowled into the Three Broomsticks, and went immediately to the large back table, that over the years; had become their unofficial table. As long as it doesn't get a nameplate, thought Harry, sarcastically as he pulled out a chair for Hermione.
Everyone except Harry sat down happily and looked up waiting. Harry rolled his eyes, as Ginny laughed at him from her spot next to Neville, and asked, "What does everyone want? butterbeers?, pretzels?" Somehow it was Harry's turn to buy, Actually it's always my turn to buy, how does that work anyway?
"Sure", "Yeah", "That's fine" rapidly came an agreeing chorus, with only one exception.
"How about a firewhiskey?" Shouted Ron, as Harry turned to give their order to Madame Rosmerta.
"NO!" came a unified cry from Hermione and Luna. They all remembered too well having to clean up after a hammered Ron before the house-elves could show up and possibly report the drunken prefect, after his youthful indiscretion with the hard stuff. The girls had had to clean up, and the scorgify charm never really gets rid of the smell, while Harry and Neville had taken great pleasure in tossing Ron under a shower to sober up the hard way.
"That'd be a beer mate." Ron muttered, his ears turning approximately the color of his Gryffindor scarf at the laughter that broke out at his discomfort.
Harry went and retrieved a couple of pitchers of butterbeer, along with some snacks and the group settled down to relax. With the exception of Ginny, and Luna, all of them had been together for six and half years now and they all knew each other's foibles, and every one of them came out over the beer, which rapidly grew into two more pitchers. Ginny and Luna were rapidly receiving an education on any possible screw ups or just plain stupid, but funny nonetheless, acts that their boyfriends may ever have done, Hermione after all had been there for most of Harry's.
After a while, the conversion started to come around to current events. Like the erstwhile family they have become, none of them wanted to hurt each other. But like young people every where and especially young warriors, however reluctantly, they started to talk about their past experiences, often with great embellishment. After a few minutes of conversion Hermione started to get slightly uncomfortable, elbowed Harry and nodded towards the door.
"We are going to go for a walk, I'll see you guys after a bit." Harry waved to the group and amid a chorus of good-natured, "BOOs", and suggestions about their "walk" they exited onto the street.
As the pair achieved the street, Harry slipped his arm around Hermione's waist to keep her warm and the two walked for several minutes snuggled in close. After a few minutes of aimless wandering, the pair ended up at the fence surrounding the Shrieking Shack. This brings back memories; it was hilarious how Malfoy and his cronies ran from the invisible monster. As he looked up at the shack itself though, but that place itself too brings up memories, first time I saw Sirius as a person, finding out that he didn't kill my parents. Damn it is there anywhere I can go to escape my past?
Hermione had sensed his thoughts, "Harry, we can't escape our past. The first time I was here...I thought Ron was going to hit on me. I'm glad that he chickened out. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to do this." With that thought and a wicked grin, she leaned into him to kiss him soundly on the lips.
"Remind me to thank Ron someday." Harry replied happily.
"I will."
"Harry," she grabbed his hand, and pulled, "lets go up to the shack."
"Sure, why not." Harry returned with a grin, After all, the shrieker left with Tonks this morning to go to London.
The house still stood abandoned after all of these years. No one went to the shack because of its fearsome reputation, or at least they hadn't until recently. It had become another occasional Gryffindor hangout over the last couple of years; after all, they knew that the house wasn't really haunted, only merely enchanted to look haunted. It was amazing when you thought about it, that in a town composed entirely of wizards, no one had ever really checked the place out.
"So what do you want to do?" Harry asked, with a lecherous grin plastered on his face as they reached the second floor room where they had met Sirius for the first time.
"Talk, love" Hermione responded seriously, after a moment.
"About?" Harry replied, his tone turning serious.
"Harry, now that I think about it, this place is ideal for this conversion, it's where you stopped Remus and Sirius from committing a murder and I almost did too or at least I was going to try, at the Smythe manor." There, it's out, finally. She had been thinking about what had happened on the raid, and that if it had not been for Harry, as usual; she would have been another of Lestrange's victims because of her rage at the elder Malfoy.
"Mione, I figure, it's about our kids." Harry started hesitantly.
"Do you know something I don't lover?" Hermione replied with a raised eyebrow, unconsciously placing her hands on her abdomen.
"Not that I can think of," a fleeting grin crossed both of their lips, "what I mean is this, you said it yourself, that night after the sorting." Harry pressed on determinately, through her troubled expression at the reminder. "That night, you said that Riddle had to be stopped, so there wouldn't be any more mothers tortured in their own homes. Hermione, you were shattered, hell most of are barely together by now, especially me, you know that better than anyone...But it has to end, and if that means killing a piece of shit like Lucius Malfoy then so be it. I want our kids and our friends' kids to grow up and be forced to sit in the back of Binns' class, while he drones on that Tom Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort, was destroyed utterly on so and so date and that the wizarding world rejoiced. I don't want them to be like that poor Pierce girl, who on the first day of class was wondering how they would stop such an evil when he came for them. I don't want our kids to have to repeat what we have to repeat."
"I know, It's just that, I've..."
"Become a murderer? No love, avenging angel maybe." Harry responded with fervor in his eyes.
"I just don't want you to get hurt because of me." She replied softly.
"I love you, you love me, that's what matters in the end. In the end that's what separates them from us. When Remus, Alastor and I dropped on the roof, I almost didn't take out that guard, The only thing that let me do it, was that I was keeping you safe, if only for a little while longer, and the absolute confidence that you would do the same for me. A muggle once said no greater love can a man have for another than he would lay his life down for that person. When it's time to finish it, the fact that we are fighting for what we love and they are fighting for power is what will win the day for us."
"It damn well better, I may want to take you up on that kids offer" Hermione smiled at him, through eyes wet with tears.
"Now?" The mood appreciably lightened.
"No...but we can practice." With those words, the tension that had been building up in the room, exploded. Harry went to her and kissed her deeply, his tongue demanding entry to her lips, which he received for the asking. Peeling off her coat, he ran his hands down her back and to her small waist where they grasped the bottom of her top and peeled it off. At the same time, Hermione's questing fingers slid under his jumper, rubbing his stomach and chest. The jumper came off as he reached behind her back for the clasp of her bra. Every time, I see these I can't believe what the robes hide Harry thought gleefully. With the familiarity of practice, Harry used his hands to rub her breasts in a counterclockwise fashion, which according to visible clues was somewhat successful.
Hermione reached for his belt, whipped it off and unbuttoned his fly; Hungrily, Harry's hands fell to her jeans and hastily unzipped them. Kneeling, he pulled them down to her ankles; she kicked them to a corner. With a slight grunt, Harry grabbed her under her bum and lifted her onto him. Staggering back to a wall, Hermione's back crashed into it, dust flying from the impact. This sudden need to confirm that they were still alive was far too important. With an explosion that filled both their bodies and minds, they finally collapsed onto an old musty couch in the corner of the room, still intertwined in each other arms and bodies.
"BLOODY HELL" an exclamation sounded in the room, and both of their heads snapped around. Ron was standing on the landing, his face approximately the same color as his hair. Luna was beside him crushing his hand, trying desperately to look anywhere but at their friends. They probably had had the same idea, but Ron's lousy timing had struck again. As Harry saw the two standing there, he dropped his head to Hermione's chest. A second later he started laughing, he couldn't help it, Hermione joined him an another instant, and if at all possible Ron's face turned even redder.
After a minute of this mirth, "Mate." Harry said still laughing slightly "could you two step out side for a moment, please."
"Uhhhh, sure," Hastily grabbing Luna's hand, Ron led her down the stairs and outside the shack.
"Honesty, you know they're never going to let us live this down" Hermione started, a little wistfully, as she brushed an escaped lock of hair behind an ear.
"I know." Harry replied with a smile, "was it worth it?"
"Yeah."
A/N There ya go, a slight diversion from the darkness.